How to cook a Strip Steak by 94 West Steak and Seafood

Best New York Strip on the South Side

Tonight we sat with Nick Sord of 94 West Restaurant and we asked him for the recipe for his Notorious NY Strip Steak.

Nick says you can make Steak many ways.

Nick broils their steaks at extremely high temperatures to seal in the flavor of USDA Prime cut beef. He serves all of his steaks on a Sizzling Platter topped with special maitre’d butter.

So enjoy the steak, but please do not touch the plate!

HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?

Rare – Very Red, cool center
Medium Rare – Red, warm center
Medium – Pink center
Medium Well – Slightly pink center
Well Done – Broiled throughout, no pink

Lets start with a:

6 OUNCE FILET

Thaw* product on a dish in the refrigerator.

SEAR & ROAST

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Season steaks with salt and pepper.
3. In skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat until almost smoking.
4. Sear steaks 1 minute on each side
5. Roast in oven 4-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

GRILL

1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Lightly brush steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill 6-8 minutes on each side for medium-rare

BROIL

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Lightly brush steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Broil 4-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

We hope you enjoy the recipe, but if you prefer — Nick Sord and crew can make it for you.

You can visit them at:

15410 94th Avenue
Orland Park, IL 60462-3826
(708) 364-9494

www.94WestRestaurant.com

How to make Grilled Octopus

We are fortunate that we live in the Western Suburbs of Chicago and we have numerous sources for almost any fresh ingredient you could want. One thing our family often craves is my octopus and seafood salads, which some say are famous. One way to prepare octopus is to boil it until it is tender and then to lightly grill it or put it under the broiler. 

You should always tenderize your octopus before cooking it. In Italy the fishermen beat the octopus against the rocks by the ocean before cooking it. Since we use fresh octopus, some say the easiest way to tenderize a fresh octopus is to beat the living daylights out of it with a blunt object, but most octopus sold in the US have been previously frozen. In this case no tenderizing is really necessary, but you can still use your meat tenderizer if you want too.

Many Chefs add a few wine corks to the cooking pot and it is said to tenderize the octopus. We added this step to our recipe, but it is not required.

After your octopus is cooked, just drizzle a light citrus vinaigrette or a little extra virgin olive oil. Our octopus can be eaten as an appetizer or as an entrée (like many of my Seafood Platters) or it can be chopped into pieces as part of a delicious seafood salad.

We cooked this for a Private Party @ Acquaviva Winery June

Grilled Octopus recipe:

2 Pound Octopus

2 Wine Corks

1 Cup White Wine

1 Lemon, Sliced in half

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Minced Garlic

Fresh Chopped Parsley

Sea Salt 

Cracked Black Pepper

Put the octopus in a saucepan large enough for it, add half of the lemon, a few wine corks and a cup of white wine. Add just enough water to cover the octopus and then cover with a lid. Heat on your stove on high but once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer. Make sure you cook the bottom of the octopus so it is tender when pierced by a fork. Turn off the burner and than just allow the octopus to cool in the water to room temperature.

Remove the tentacles from the head and if you want, cut the head into pieces as well. Drizzle the octopus pieces with a lightly cover of Olive Oil. You can than heat up the grill or broiler and cook until the edges begin to crisp and brown (be careful not burn). Drizzle on a little more olive oil, squeeze lemon on top, sprinkle with chopped parsley and minced garlic. Then just season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

Buon Appetito!

Acquaviva Winery: Best New Winery Chicago

Somewhere in every wine lover’s mind is the fantasy about opening a winery. But the reality is a huge up taking with large amounts of cash outlays, permits, contract negotiations and farming logistics that would rattle the toughest  persons nerves.

Now add the additional challenge of dealing with an economy that has hit rock bottom and your winery has to compete with an ever-growing ocean of International, California and Midwest bottlers.

Winemakers and Foodies are a devoted lot. Despite the change in the economy, hundreds of new wineries have opened in the past year. One of Chicago’s very own is Acquaviva Winery and Restaurant in Maple Park, IL.

94 West Steak and Seafood; Surf and Turf Grill Masters

94 West Steak and Seafood Restaurant Review

I recently had the pleasure of dinning at one of the South Suburbs Award Winning Steakhouses, 94 West Restaurant. Of course I had to face the facts this weekend and realize that I may be a master of the barbecue grill, but it’s next to impossible for me to obtain the best restaurant quality Prime Steaks and broil it to perfection at temperatures as high as 94 West Restaurant can.

The owner, Bryan Sord brings back old world charm to this Steakhouse while delivering us a modern chop-house that serves globally inspired food. When you ask Bryan what sets 94 West apart from other restaurants, he will always give you the same answer — great food.  To understand why 94 West Restaurant is a cut above the rest you have to understand a little family history.

Bryan’s parents; Johnny and Mary proudly opened the doors to the Candlelight Lodge on 55th & Spaulding in June of 1958. It did not take long for this place to become known in Chicago as a place for fabulous food, big drinks, “Green Noodles,” and a great time.

Through the years, all their children were involved in the operation. Wayne, Alan, Susan, and Bryan.

In 1999, Mary became a widow and the family all agreed that it would be best if they closed the restaurant’s doors. Mary passed away in 2001.

On a whim, Bryan wanted to bring back the “Legend of the Candlelight” and the “Green Noodles” to Orland Park.

Now that you understand where the passion for Great Food comes from, take a look at our “Surf and Turf” pictures. 

Chilean Sea Bass or Chicken Limone: Ristorante Demarco’s, Best of the West

Ristorante Demarco’s is one of my Best of the West Pic’s this Week:

Best of the West, meaning the over populated restaurant scene in the western suburbs of Chicago. Somedays I love to just take a book and dine by myself, but I have a hard time dining alone when it comes to DeMarco’s.  You see I need a foodie wingman at DeMarco’s, because I have a hard time saying no to Chicken Limone and Chilean Sea Bass at the same time.

Since I can not eat both, I called in fellow foodie and wingman,David Rozek (Writer at AlmostFreeChicago.com) and suggested he order the Sea Bass. You see David always fills up on appetizers, bread and soup in fine restaurants, which allows me to pick on his and enjoy mine too. Of course he’s not gonna be too happy after reading this, but a girl has got to have her priorities.

The Sea Bass and the Chicken Limone are both World Class Fare, but the guy next to us had the Shrimp Pasta and the seem of it was driving me insane. Have you ever just wanted to walk up to someones table and say excuse me can I taste that? Ok – I will control myself, but at least I took a picture.

 

In closing, Ristorante Demarco’s is one of Chicagolands Best Restaurants, but don’t take my word for it – get off the computer and try it for yourself.

Demarco’s Restaurant is located at:

Lake Street & Route 53
Itasca, IL 60143

Map & Directions

(630) 285-9200

www.DeMarcosRistorante.com