One of the most difficult tasks facing restaurateurs as their businesses enter middle age is how to keep them fresh and appealing. Most, if not all, of the original staff is long gone. Countless trends and styles of cooking and dining have come and gone as well. Regular customers become irregular. The glowing reviews of a decade or more ago hanging on a wall wear the patina of age.
Michael Foley, chef-owner of Printers Row in the South Loop, has the cares and woes of 20-plus years on the job etched into his mid-40s face. But he’s smiling as he recounts the ups and downs that have left him on his feet and feeling “really good” about his food, his staff and his business.
For this he credits, among others, general manager Phil Gaven, chef Fred Ramos and his father, Bob.
“My dad, who has been in the restaurant business for 53 years, came in as a partner in 1987,” the younger Foley explains. “He added structure to the operation, especially in financial and catering operations, plus his insights into dealing with staff and customers. Working closely with him has been one of the ups of the job.”
Downs came earlier, after the rush of having converted a corner coffee shop into a fine dining destination that succeeded despite its location in a then-dicey neighborhood. Chef Foley, self-taught but blessed with a thirst for knowledge, boundless energy and a striver’s work ethic, found himself in the forefront of the New American Cuisine movement. Customers came from near and far.
“My goal was to show Americans could cook, could make great food, with American ingredients. I spent most of my spare time during the first 10 years sourcing food, wine and beer and helping the producers find customers for their products. My delivery services were Greyhound and UPS overnight.
“But I never wanted to be typecast as a Midwestern restaurant. I strove to create food that was sophisticated but approachable and still do. The Chicago client is conservative. Steakhouses ruled this town when I began in 1981 and today they’re still No. 1 in growth. It’s OK to be creative, but not if you go too far out.”
Foley stretched himself out too far in the late ’80s and early ’90s as he became involved in a trio of restaurants, a winery and a farm in Michigan and various consulting opportunities. He also returned to college to learn more about subjects as diverse as law and nutrition.
Now, he says, “I’m concentrating on this place and the people who work here. I’m doing some comfort food, but always with a contemporary touch. I’ve pared back on the items we offer and see our prices as at the top of the middle tier.
“Today it’s more important for me to be able to serve a good lunch in 30 minutes than to offer a menu of cutting-edge ingredients. Still, there’s no need to apologize for our culinary fervor. Chicago’s restaurants are part of the city’s appeal. The city is moving ahead and I have to do so too or risk becoming a cliche. We change the coffee, we change the look of the menu, we taste and critique everything, even our most popular dishes.”
Here are two of Printers Row’s popular dishes.
ROASTED BEET, AVOCADO AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD
Four servings
2 large red beets (in summer use candy-stripe beets)
1/2 pound green beans, French preferred, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 grapefruit, zested, peeled and sectioned
1 ripe avocado, peeled, halved and pit removed
1 bunch watercress, washed, dried and stems trimmed
Citrus vinaigrette:
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup wine vinegar, Champagne preferred
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
Shredded fresh basil, to taste
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets separately in foil and roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven. When cool, peel off skins and cut each beet into 8 wedges. Set aside. Meanwhile, cook green beans in salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. Prepare grapefruit and fruit for the vinaigrette. Combine all the zests and the fruit juices in a small bowl. Add vinegar, shallots and shredded basil. Recipe may be done ahead to this point.
3. When ready to serve, slowly whisk oil into the fruit juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cut avocado halves lengthwise into 4 slices each. Dress beets, grapefruit, green beans and avocado lightly with vinaigrette. Dress the watercress and toss, then divide among four serving plates. Garnish with beets, green beans, grapefruit and avocado slices. Serve.
Note: For a main-course fish salad, marinate 4 four-ounce pieces of salmon in oil, lemon juice and cracked pepper and grill or saute them. Center a piece atop salad on each plate.
ROASTED PHEASANT WITH TOMATILLO COULIS AND ROASTED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
Four to six servings
For the pheasant:
2 whole farm-raised pheasants, about 3 pounds each
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
3 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 head garlic, broken apart, cloves peeled
1 cup dry white wine
4 quarts chicken broth or good quality broth
Herbs, bay leaf and peppercorns to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the coulis:
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
1 large jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 quart pheasant stock
1 1/2 cups stemmed and chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the potatoes:
1 head garlic
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup cream, heated
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened
For garnish:
1 pound French green beans, trimmed, parboiled, drained and dried
1 tablespoon butter
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut up the birds: Remove each leg and thigh in a single piece, remove each breast half with wing attached. Then remove thigh bones but leave drumsticks intact. Cut away ribs bones under breast and wing tips, cut carcass into pieces. (Refrigerate breast and leg pieces until needed.) Transfer bones to a roasting pan and cook until browned. At the same time, wrap one head of unpeeled garlic in foil wrap and roast in the oven until soft, 20 to 25 minutes; peel after roasting and set aside for potato side dish.
2. In a large stockpot, heat oil with chopped onion, carrot and celery until soft. Add browned pheasant bones and uncooked garlic cloves, wine and stock to cover, herbs, bay leaf and peppercorns as desired. Simmer slowly for about 1 hour. Strain broth through a fine sieve and reserve.
3. To make the coulis, roast the tomatillos and jalapeno in the 425-degree oven until brown and soft, 15 to 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel tomatillos and jalapeno; remove seeds and veins from jalapeno and chop. Set aside. In a large saucepan, cook onion in vegetable oil until soft; add chopped garlic, cumin, roasted tomatillos and jalapeno. Cover with the pheasant stock. Bring to a simmer and cook to reduce by about a quarter, about 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat. Puree sauce in batches in a blender. There will be about 6 cups. Season with salt and pepper and return to the saucepan.
4. To prepare the potatoes, place them in a saucepan, cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Partially cover the pan and cook until potatoes are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Heat the cream. When done, drain and mash the potatoes with roasted garlic cloves, warm cream, softened butter and salt and pepper. Beat until ingredients are well blended and mixture is fluffy. Hold warm in the top of a double boiler or reheat in a microwave oven before serving.
5. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe dish with a tablespoon of butter; cover and reheat just before serving.
6. Heat olive oil in two 12-inch frying pans, cast iron if possible. When hot, add pheasant pieces, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden, turn and cook second side until firm. Transfer pans to a 425-degree oven and roast until cooked through but still moist, about 15 minutes.
7. Ladle hot tomatillo sauce over four to six warm plates. Arrange the potatoes and one or two pieces of pheasant on each plate. Garnish with green beans; add sauce as desired.
