Sometimes it is easy to forget some of the simpler pleasures of life. Here at AM we were reminded of this recently when we welcomed our marketing intern Duri Kwon, who is joining us on an exchange program from her native South Korea. Among the things included in her orientation to the restaurant was some basic training in Mediterranean food and wine.

She is also learning to work with us on our blog and other projects, so we asked her to write a practice entry about an experience here, working with us. She chose to write about the Grilled Octopus dish she tasted as her first experience with Med food. We were so smitten by her description we thought we would share it here on the blog with all of you…….hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks Duri and welcome!

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Med 101 – by Duri Kwon

My first week at Autre Monde Café was a series of surprises. It started with the menu. It was easiest, to start by pick out the terms that I recognized. French & Spanish were familiar but Italian terms… not so much! Welcome to the Mediterranean table!

Though I had not eaten Mediterranean style octopus in Korea, I believed the flavors would be similar to an octopus dish at home. The Grilled Octopus l’escala was served to me glistening, under the intimate lights, octopus nestled with bright, red tomatoes on a long white dish, looked inviting and worked up my appetite. I expected a flavor & texture that were salty and hard; but my first bite of octopus told me I was wrong. The flavor was AMAZING. The texture was very simple, tender like beef, but sweeter. I cleared my plate, this was just as filling as a steak! Now, I have to get ready for the many additional menu surprises that await me.

Mediterranean food at Autre Monde, first impression, is creative and the flavor is beyond my imagination. I am passionate about experiencing more. I have already begun to think about how I can share this delicious feeling with others. For today, since I am still learning the finer points of English I will say it in my native Korean. If you tried something amazing there and wanted to tell others how good it was, you would just say ‘kkeut nae jaw yo’ with no doubt.

When asked, “What is Vinitaly” an easy American response would be “Google it.”

There is no meta-description that can aptly describe, which this event certainly deserves ten-fold …..and then there are the scooters.

Vinitaly may have inspired the cantina scene in “Star Wars.” Italians, Brits, Americans, Chinese, leaning into the slickest trade-show booth’s that only an Italian could have imagined. Speaking languages that all are translated by hand-gestures & understanding of a common interest in uva-culture. Castles, enoteca’s….night-club, music-pumping booth’s manned by models across from modest looking vintner’s in jeans & sport coats. Entering its perimeter takes a careful eye, & knowledge of Italian terroir. Italy’s 20 wine growing regions, each represented in a building the size of the UIC Forum….within those buildings the individual territories broken down even further. Wine makers from these individual DOC’s & DOCG’s show their new vintages, and occasionally, if you are worthy, produce some of their older vintages, richer, deeper examples of their wine-making prowess.

It was my first trip back in 11 year and it has grown, showcasing the ever vibrant, Italian wine scene. We were guided by true gems of this industry. Bevery Malen of Imports Inc. “Strong is the force in this one”….Beverly represents some of the finest Italian Producers, with special strength in the North, including Friulian Elder-Statesman Emilio Bulfon , responsible for championing the survival & vinification of the rarest varieties of this region. There is more though. It is a proud story of someone close to his land, his heritage, his maker. The varietal wines he produces have names like, Cividin, Ucelit, Sciaglin sounding very exotic and indeed they are some of the most interesting wines that will ever touch your palette. Showcasing an exciting diversity of flavors and styles.

Bulfon and his family are true custodians of their Region, his daughter is an avid conservationist and fascinating historian of the area and every inch of the winery and grounds are dedicated to preserving and showcasing the most authentic and very best traditions that Fruili has to offer. Bulfon has only visited this country once to proudly showcase his wines 8 years ago on North Michigan Avenue at Cafe Spiaggia…we were lucky enough to be there. In the fall, his son will return to do the same, right here, in Berwyn….as I write this I realize the parallel’s and it makes me grin…..but these are stories to be detailed in future episodes.

Oh those darn scooters!

Then there is Aldo Zaninotto of Wine D.O.C. Aldo is a citizen of the world & whom introduced us to Mariano Buglioni’s wines this past summer. We found ourselves staying at his warm & welcoming Locanda & witness to his old-world sensibilities peppered with new-world polish. Wines vinified from oft forgotten, secondary grapes are transformed into front-running contenders. He revels in doing this but also excels in more classic wines such as Amarone & Recioto. Interested? Well stay tuned for a personal introduction on Roosevelt Road later this summer as part of a very special dinner we are planning.

Buzz, buzz, beep.

Like bees around the daisies, these Vespa’s zoom in & out in front of your Fiat….if you’ve driven in Italy you know what I mean, stressful but we were fortunate enough not to directly feel the sting. This is why one risks to enter the hive…to come out with honey so sweet. Mission accomplished.

We can’t wait to share the new found treasures & relationships of our trip with you this year and beyond! The Voyage was not not only fruitful, it was inspirational. To see the owners of a little cafe in Berwyn U.S.A so warmly received by our Italian & Croatian hosts & inspirations….what..Croatian’s you say? Yes….but that is for a future episode. Look for more entries on VinItaly and our trip over the next few weeks.

John & I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to Italy and Croatia. Three countries in 10 days with 5 of them at Vin-Italy in Verona, then a visit to Emilio Bulfon and his amazing estate in Fruili, then on to Trieste and finally a drive across the border and through Slovenia, down the spectacular coastline of Croatia arriving finally in Split. After several days there and a visit to John’s family to say hello and see their winemaking facilities we headed back up to Italy to stay at Lake Garda for a night before braving the Milan traffic for the flight home. All in all a fantastic trip which energized us and filled us with inspiration for the spring & summer menu and of course wine events.

Over the next few weeks we will share the trip with you and introduce you to some of our favorite wines & winemakers from the trip, many of whom you will have the chance to meet at the restaurants in coming months. Also, look for some new entries from our chefs on techniques they use in the kitchen and of course more on the greenhouse & patio!

So we have been out of the mix for a bit playing post holiday catch up and waiting out the winter, but Spring is upon us…..at least very soon so we are back and have our first full official season with the Greenhouse. We are very excited to share the full planning process. This year we are fortunate to have a few additional advisors that we have met since we opened who are helping us upgrade our soil mix and plant & propagate our seedlings. Our soil supplies were picked up from Brew N Grow (one in the city and one in Roselle) a great source for organic soils, vermiculite, kelp and other healthy additives at reasonable prices. Thanks to the mild winter we also had some herbs that survived in the greenhouse which we will be bringing back for a second season, wonderful to have this ability.

To date we have cleared out the greenhouse and prepped some new hand made planter boxes, picked up the necessary ingredients for the recommended organic soil mix, designed for greenhouse gardening (thanks Barb & Stacy). We also have received our first two rounds of seeds for planting seedlings from our favs, Seed Savers and Johnny’s Seeds. We also have plans to order some additional herb seeds & plants from Richter’s and of course round out our selection from the Oak Park Conservatory Herb & Plant Sale in May. You can check past blog entries for more info on all of these. Some of the tomatoes and other seedlings we plant will be transferred to Cakeridge Farms (our chefs Ohio farm) for the season. We also have plans to increase our plantable space via more planter boxes inside & outside the patio.

We will also be making some visits to our farm partners in Illinois and John & I will be heading to Italy & Croatia at the end of the month for VinItaly and some other tasting and research as we move into the spring menu & wine list. We will share our experience in a special series of entries in April. We will also be sharing a lot of tips and updates from the greenhouse and more beginning in the next week or so. Glad to be back to the greenhouse and looking forward to sharing our first full season with you.

Pecorino, one may recall, is a tasty cheese from the Adriatic side of Italy. Known for its beautiful briny quality that is reminiscent of salt & sea. But did you know it is also and incredible under-dog of a varietal once on the verge of extinction?

My first encounter with this illusive grape goes back 11 years to Verona during Vin Italy. Traveling with my mentor Henry Bishop, I felt Robin to Batman….and as was typical of him, carefully laid-out plans led to an introduction; which I pleasantly can say made a remarkable first impression. This was also my threshold moment into what a wine was capable of outside the expected norms.

This obscure varietal originates in the Marche region of Italy (central-east). The name is rumored to come from the fact that the sheep of the region would nibble these grapes along with their requisite grasslands as they were being herded to lowland pastures. These journey’s resulting in the eventual milking of the sheep and this milk being used by the artisan cheese-makersof the area using this milk to produce lush and salty Pecorino cheese. As it typical with Italy the elements of a region are often brought together harmoniously resulting in exemplary food & wine.

Small vineyards producing this grape are found scattered throughout the Marche & Abruzzo, which is where ours is found. The Pecorino we serve currently is not typical, very rich & structured where these wines usually offer a lighter, less intense expression of the grape. The grape itself is very white and thin-skinned. The fragility of the grape is in fact the reason it almost faded into legend, as it’s slight-physique can lead to early splitting and sometimes rot. Fruit yield then, understandably is limited.

That which survives however is quite the go-getter…. usually reaching full ripeness by September being it is well-suited for the harsher climate of these regions. The result is a rich, viscous, yellow-fruit nose which leads to a salty, minerality which is quite unexpected. Jasci produces this very limited, bio-dynamic, 2007 juice in Abruzzo. Suggested pairing would be our goat-cheese tortalacci, which has a brown-butter sauce complimented by black truffle…or simply enjoy with any sheep’s milk cheese, and reminisce about the great lengths this vino has traveled to become a food-driven-contender!

To Henry!