Chicago is the "city that works," and it may be argued that it's the "other" city that never sleeps, but where do Chicagoans get all the energy needed to keep going? Could be all the coffee we drink, according to a report from The Daily Beast.

The website got a list of the cities with the largest number of coffee shops per capita from market research firm NPD Group, then considered total caffeine consumption as measured by the most recent annual caffeine survey, commissioned by HealthSaver and conducted by Prince Market Research in 2008. Cities on its initial per capita ranking that were not accounted for in the consumption survey were given a normalized score.

Additionally, the site considered data on the average monthly spending on coffee purchases in the first quarter of 2010, according to personal budget service Mint.com. Cities in which Mint data was not available were ascribed an averaged value.

It's no surprise that the No. 1 caffeinated city in America was Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks. Seattle has 35 coffee shops per 100,000 residents and the average Seattleite spends $36 a month on coffee, according to the Daily Beast survey. Following Seattle on the list were Portland, San Jose, Denver, and San Francisco, but in sixth place -- and the first non Western city to appear on the list -- was Chicago.

According to the Daily Beast, Chicago, which was the first city outside of Seattle that Starbucks expanded to, has 10 coffee shops per 100,000 residents and the average monthly amount spent on coffee is $29.

Only $29 a month? I wish I could get my coffee budget down to that level.

Let the invasion of the cupcake trucks begin.

True, Flirty Cupcakes has merrily been doing its cupcakes-on-wheels thing for a few months now.

But with Monday's opening of Sprinkles Cupcakes at 50 E. Walton -- the first Midwest outpost of the Los Angeles-based cupcake chain -- the roads are about to get crowded.

The Sprinklesmobile will be "cruising around the city for the next few weeks giving away free cupcakes," says spokeswoman Jill Katz. Chicagoan-gone-Hollywood Bill Rancic and wife/E! News host Giuliana Rancic will add star power/enviable tans to opening day by working the counter from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and autographing cupcake boxes, Katz says.

Not to be outdone, more, the cupcake boutique at 1 E. Delaware -- just a stone's throw from Sprinkles -- is launching its More Mobile and in its first week, also will be giving away the handheld treats for free.

More owner Patty Rothman hopes to roll out the truck by a week from Friday -- which, not coincidentally, is opening day of the Lollapalooza music fest in Grant Park. The cupcake shop is one of the high-profile vendors in the fest's new and culinarily improved Chow Town food area.

"The best thing I can do is to try and associate myself with being from Chicago," Rothman says.

One sign of a city girl: Rothman's done her homework. In anticipation of a future overhaul of the city's ordinance pertaining to mobile food vendors, and as a nod to the environmentally conscious Mayor Daley, she outfitted her truck with a generator that keeps it refrigerated and air-conditioned even with the motor off. The truck will hold an imposing 1,500 cupcakes in 12 flavors.

As for the competition, Rothman offers this diplomatic take: "At the end of the day, there's enough room for everyone... Truly, I'm always fascinated by how excited people get over cupcakes."

Mm, hmm -- whoops, I mean, mmm.

Follow all three trucks on their respective Twitter/Facebook pages.

It's hot and humid out, folks. Go drink some beer.

But not just any beer -- get thee to the Goose Island Brewpub, 1800 N. Clybourn, at 6 tonight for the exotically named, potentially award-winning Sai-Shan-Tea, which is very much a beer.

It's the product of a collaboration between Goose Island's brewmaster Jared Rouben, tea purveyor extraordinaire Rodrick Markus of the Rare Tea Cellar and Chicagoist's beer connoisseur/food editor Chuck Sudo (whose byline you see from time to time in our food pages).

Rouben has been on a roll with these beer-making collaborations with Chicago chefs, so it was only a matter of time before a tea connoisseur and bearded blogger were added to the mix.

The beer's key ingredient is Markus' Emperor's Lemon Meritage tea. Sudo, who blogged about the whole beer-making process, describes it as a saison that goes down like a shandy.

"We wanted the beer to have a lot of character and weight, but have people coming back for more," Sudo says via e-mail.

Like summer, this stuff is fleeting -- only 40 kegs' worth available, and only at Goose Island Clybourn -- so try Sai-Shan-Tea while you can. While it's hot. And since we're headed for vacation tomorrow and need to have a clear head whilst packing, have some for us, too.

By guest blogger Seanan Forbes

Does it matter whether you call cachaça rum? It does to Brazil.

There, cachaça has a lineage that can be traced back four centuries. In 2001, Brazilian president Fernando Enrique Cardoso signed a degree stamping the country's cane alcohol with one name: cachaça.

That's all well and good in Brazil, but it doesn't have much of an effect in other countries.
Is there a difference between rum and cachaça? Rum's usually made from a sugarcane byproduct, molasses. Cachaça is made from fresh sugarcane juice.

One of the greatest cachaça activists is Steve Luttmann, founder of Leblon cachaça. How did an American man get involved with cachaça? "I fell in love with a Brazilian," Luttman said. Leblon's a family-owned business. Arguably, then, Luttman has more than one reason to defend the liquor's honor. (If you want to support cachaça's right to claim its name, then you can sign a petition online.)

Aged cachaças, like aged whiskies, command a high price (say, $400 a bottle). Barrel-aged cachaças, which have spicy, woody notes, can be enjoyed simply, on the rocks or neat.

Most people associate cachaças with caipirinhas, Brazil's traditional drink made with cachaça, sugar and lime. Cachaça's an adaptable spirit. It plays well with many flavors. Take advantage of summer, and mix it with watermelon and lime, spice it up with fresh chili, and add a savory touch with cilantro.

The Chili Mamma (at right) complements salads as readily as it does steaks and sandwiches. The Basiado, which has cucumber and lemongrass, is a breeze in a glass, and light enough to enjoy with dessert.

Don't think cachaça pairs only with Brazilian food. Dan Tucker, chef de cuisine of Sushishamba rio, 504 N. Wells, says that caiparinhas favor sushi and sashimi - especially the spicy rolls.

And don't be afraid to try using cachaça in food, instead of with it. Chef and cooking teacher Leticia Moreino Schwartz, author of The Brazilian Kitchen, encourages people "to use this Brazilian spirit in cooking, not only to make caipirinhas."

In Schwartz's hands, caipirinhas become a sorbet. While it's elegant as a dessert, garnished with a spiral of lime rind, Schwartz says it makes a gorgeous inter-mezzo between dishes in a meal. This recipe isn't in the cookbook, but Schwartz sent it from Brazil to Chicago. That's a present any drinker can enjoy.

Recipes after the jump.

We answer your burning questions -- what (and where) do chefs eat (and drink) when they get off work -- in today's Food pages. Their midnight cravings may not surprise you. Who doesn't love a bowl of Raisin Bran or a messy taco in the light of the moon?

Thanks to Rodelio Aglibot, I now have a particular craving for fried Spam and eggs over rice, something he ate growing up in Hawaii (even McDonald's there offers it on the menu, he says) and which, along with those horrible canned Vienna sausages, harkens back to my own childhood. Aglibot in fact has his sous chefs trained to make his late-night snack for him, just as he likes it.

It also serves as a barometer of their egg cooking skills, he says.

Here, then, is the Rodelio Aglibot way:

"Sunny side up, wth the egg on the side. Get the rice and mix it with the yolk. And don't overly season the eggs, because you get the salt from the Spam. There's a certain ratio of rice to eggs. When you mix the egg up into the rice, if it's too light yellow, there's too much rice. And the perfect thickness is to cut the Spam into eighths. They know how I like it -- nice and crispy."

On a non-Spam note: Aglibot is referenced in the story as Sunda's chef and while that is still technically the case, he is transitioning out of that kitchen and into the consulting role with the New York-based BLT Restaurant Group that was announced in March. His role going forward will be menu development for forthcoming BLT properties, including in Chicago.

"I'm still the chef of record [at Sunda], and I'll be spending a third to a quarter of my time in Chicago," he says. Good bet he'll take his Spam wherever he goes.

The lobster corn dog (at right) is just the beginning.

Graham Elliot Bowles on Monday offered a sneak peek -- albeit an air-conditioned, highly edited, paired-with-cocktails peek -- of what to expect foodwise at Lollapalooza in August and, well, the kids will be eating well.

Passed platters at Bowles' River North restaurant held sopes cradled with pork belly and black beans from Big Star (below); sliders with bacon, cheddar and squiggly-soft quail eggs on fat pretzel rolls from Kuma's Corner; layered pork and pickled veggie bao from Sunda; plump shrimp with a tomato and peach relish from the Southern and the now-famous corndogs and truffled popcorn from Bowles. A cantilevered tabletop contraption, meanwhile, held several varieties of cupcakes from the Gold Coast cupcake boutique more.

And while no one was accusing Bowles (or the cooks from the aforementioned restaurants who also were present) of skimping, he promised heartier portions at the actual music fest, which runs Aug. 6 through 8 in Grant Park.

Thirty restaurants now are in the lineup at Lolla's so-called Chow Town, all of which "are focused on the indie spirit," said Bowles, who last year made such a splash cooking backstage for Lolla founder Perry Farrell, he was tapped to be culinary director this year. (Farrell also was on hand Monday, looking even tinier in person than in print.)

This has been the summer of Bowles. There was the mini-media blitz this past week, with appearances on ABC's Nightline and a Q&A in the New York Times Monday. Next week, Fox debuts the Gordon Ramsay series "Masterchef" with Bowles as judge. Of course, there's Lolla.

But sadly, we'll have to wait a big longer for Grahamwich, Bowles' 20-seat sandwich 'n' soft serve shop, slated for 615 N. State -- at least til September, he says.

by guest blogger and New York writer Seanan Forbes

Absinthe has history. It's been labeled a dangerous drug. It's been outrageously popular. It's been banned in the United States and many European countries. Then again, given that the drink's been keeping extreme company (Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Eminem, Marilyn Manson ...), it's bound to have gathered a story or two.

Here are a few facts: Absinthe has no added sugar, so it's not a liqueur; it's a spirit. It contains wormwood and a number of aromatic herbs, which may include fennel, anise seed, star anise, hyssop, angelica root, coriander and more. The ingredients are always securely protected by distillers - including one in Chicago.

Ah, yes. That's the most important fact about absinthe: It's back.

In 2007, the ban was lifted and absinthe returned to stores, bars and glasses across America. That was welcome news to many people, including Derek and Sonja Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery. "We've been making [absinthe] since the start," says Sonja Kassebaum, "but we never thought we'd be able to sell it, 'cause it wasn't legal."

They made it because they liked it, and to test their skill. "It's a very complex spirit. It's regarded as a challenge, and difficult for a distiller to make well," she says.

According to master mixologist Charles Joly of the Drawing Room, 937 N. Rush, they're doing everything right. "The flavor's balanced, and I think it's pretty cool that a distillery out of Chicago is making something as good as or better than some of what's coming out of France and Switzerland," Joly says.

Kassebaum describes Sirène as a classic absinthe. "There's a whole bunch of stuff that gets called absinthe that isn't," she says. As to ingredients, she'll divulge this: "Anise, fennel and wormwood are the trinity."

Absinthe is a forward spirit. "It's got a pretty pronounced flavor," Joly says. Classically, absinthe was used to rinse the glass and then thrown out. "It was there as an accompanying note," he says.

Kassebaum agrees. "Just a small amount adds a little something extra, a little depth and complexity." Today, some bartenders put absinthe in small spray bottles - the kind sold in travel kits - and spray it across the tops of cocktails.

If you like the idea of using absinthe at the table, then try rinsing a martini glass with absinthe, pouring out the liquor, then using the glass to serve chocolate gelato or blood orange sorbet.

Seen at Tuesday evening's reception to ring in the Michelin guide for Chicago: Chefs Graham Elliot Bowles, Matthias Merges, Curtis Duffy, Kevin Hickey, Christophe David, Bill Kim, Chris Koetke, Shelley Young, Frank Brunacci and Phillip Foss.

Overheard after the speeches were done and the bubbly was flowing: Just about everyone talking super-stealth Michelin inspectors, and Foss talking food trucks -- to Mayor Daley.

Foss, who has been drumming up support in culinary circles to revise the city's ordinance governing street vendors, approached the mayor as he made his way down a set of stairs at the event space on the Near North Side and asked him what he thought of food trucks.

"All I wanted to do was see where he was coming from," Foss said.

Tough crowd. "He was playing the devil's advocate," Foss said. "He said he could see how [restaurants] could feel competitive about having trucks around. And he made the point about taxes -- why is is fair that the bricks-and-mortar places would be paying higher taxes when a truck could just get up and going for next to nothing?"

Foss says he came away from his brief but intense audience with Da Mare "impressed," though not necessarily encouraged.

To both men's credit, the mayor didn't duck out afterward; he stayed and mingled.

So Bon Appetit magazine is the big sponsor for this year's Chicago Gourmet food fest, to be held Sept. 25 and 26 in Millenium Park.

And of course, Bon Appetit editor-in-chef Barbara Fairchild, speaking this morning in front of Mayor Daley and a roomful of Chicago's finest chefs (seriously - and we're not just saying that), would say that she loves Chicago.

But here's a tidbit we were delighted to learn: In the early '80s, Fairchild was the editor for the late Abby Mandel, the creator of Chicago's Green City Market, who wrote a food processor column for the magazine (and for this paper in the mid '80s).

"She was really the one who gave me so much enthusiasm for this city," Fairchild said. "You have here some of the most talented, smartest chefs working today.

"And as I know," she added cheekily, "it only takes 25 years to become an overnight sensation."

Chicago Gourmet attendees will be able to hobnob with Fairchild, other Bon Appetit editors and Iron Chef Cat Cora at the September festival under the Bon Appetit Marketplace tent. Also new this year: a pavilion hosted by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. Think of it as a mini-Fancy Food Show. McCormick Place lost the annual trade show in 2008.

And speaking of Mandel's legacy, the Green City Market's annual chef's barbecue -- set for Thursday in Lincoln Park -- is, once again, sold out.

Chicago was on top of the food world Tuesday.

First, we got the early news that Michelin is releasing its first Chicago guide in November (immediately met by a flurry of tweets and Facebook posts over who's getting stars and will Michelin get it right and does Michelin matter here and so forth.)

That was followed up by a press conference at the Chicago Cultural Center to kick off the third annual Chicago Gourmet, sponsored this year by Bon Appetit magazine.

The event was mostly a chance for about 50 of Chicago's chefs to mug for cameras, champagne flutes in hand, and for Mayor Daley and event officials to promise a bigger, better food festival. But there was no doubt word about the Michelin guide -- which had been rumored for a few years now -- gave them a unexpected buzz.

And now the fun begins. The discourse already has begun on as to whether Alinea -- recently named the seventh best restaurant in the world -- will get three stars. It's no secret, Alinea's Grant Achatz says, that he, L20 and Charlie Trotter's all are gunning for stars because, well, it matters.

"I firmly believe that there's four three-star restaurants in Chicago," Achatz said. "I don't think they're gonna give us four. But I'm not gonna sit here and bite my fingernails off. I think what we do is three-star work."

Achatz also commended Michelin inspectors for pulling off the impossible, at least in his restaurant -- going undetected. (Inspectors have been visiting restaurants and hotels in Chicago for the past two years.)

"I've gotta tell you, I have an uncanny pulse on food critics and food writers, and I have no idea when they were in our restaurant. No clue," he said. "I've talked about it with everybody from Curtis [Duffy] at Avenues to Thomas [Keller]... I don't know how they pull it off."

Chicago foodies will be interested to know that the 10-person U.S. Michelin team includes some Chicago natives, and some who have worked or trained here, according to Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide.

Also of note: There won't be another Los Angeles or Las Vegas guide in the forseeable future, Naret said. Both guides were published in 2008, much to the disappointment of food lovers here, who thought Chicago deserved the spotlight then.

And for those of you following Michelin on Twitter, hoping to unearth some crack in the foundation that will lead to the identity of these super-secret inspectors, well, you're not really following them. "We're not doing it directly from restaurants and not instantly after we left. We create a vacuum of a day or two," Naret said.

The Michelin folks are so mysterious, they sent out an e-mail just this morning to chefs about a reception tonight with Naret and Mayor Daley, where no doubt the buzz will continue.

The Michelin men and women are coming.

Indeed, inspectors for the vaunted guide to the world's best restaurants and hotels already have been eating their way around Chicago for two years, Michelin announced early Tuesday.

The Chicago Michelin guide, which will be released in November, comes five years after the tire company's first foray into North America with its New York guide. There have been guides published for San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas as well.

Michelin published its first guide in 1900 and now counts 25 editions covering 23 countries.

In Europe, Michelin stars -- one means "a very good restaurant," two "worth a detour" and three "worth a special journey" -- carry significant weight. In 2003, one of France's most well-known chefs, Bernard Loiseau, committed suicide, reportedly because he feared losing one of his three stars.

The new bags for Sun-Chips practically scream out that they are compostable, really.

It's not the large-sized type that says, "World's First 100% Compostable Chip Package" that I refer to, it's the actual sound of the package, whether you are opening it or digging into it for some chips, and that sound is REALLY loud.

On its website, Sun-Chips (made by Frito-Lay) explains that over the past five years they've reduced by more than 5 million pounds the amount of packaging they use. After that, the company changed the material used to make its packaging films. "Our traditional package is constructed of multiple layers of polyolefin materials, which are derived from petroleum by-products. While these materials are extremely efficient (in both cost and performance), we challenged ourselves to find new, emerging packaging film technologies. After 4 years of research and field trials, we have found a packaging film that meets our performance expectations. That material is known as PLA.

PLA stands for polylactic acid, or polylactide, a versatile polymer made from plants. PLA is made with plants that grow annually instead of petroleum (which takes millions of years to form)."

Sun-Chips says these fully-compostable bags will break down (in hot compost piles) in about 14 weeks. OK, so the bags are made from plant material and not petroleum? Great! But about that noise ...

They know. "Truth be told, our new bag sounds a bit different than our previous bags," according to the Sun-Chips website. "That's because plant-based materials have different sound properties than the materials used to create our old bags. So although this version is a little bit louder, we hope you'll appreciate the change and the positive environmental impact it will have."

Sure, that makes me feel so much better about my snack choices. But so much for trying to furtively chow down on a few handfuls of chips at home, when everyone else in my building is asleep; or at work, when half of your office will know you've got the Sun-Chips bag.

I hope this doesn't give Ben and Jerry any ideas.

Save the date: Excuse us, The Date.

Girl and the Goat, Stephanie Izard's much anticipated West Loop restaurant, opens Monday at 809 W. Randolph. At 4:30 p.m. (we think -- there are no hours listed on the website, but that's what the restaurant voicemail says).

And as of now, Girl and the Goat will be open seven days a week, until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday. But that could change.

Reservations will be accepted starting at 10 a.m. Monday (hello, busy signal!). We wondered, though, since the phone lines at G&TG are up and running, if you call now and follow the prompt to get you to the reservation line, will that put you ahead of the pack? We couldn't get a definitive answer from either Izard or spokeswoman Karrie Leung but as they say, never hurts to try.

Check out the website for a preview menu, or just to peruse Izard's fun, industry-heavy photo gallery. Ever the inclusive host, Izard is encouraging folks to submit photos of themselves eating and drinking (and presumably, looking happy); your photo might just end up on the website, too, right next to that Richard Blais guy.
--

by guest blogger and New York writer Seanan Forbes

If the World Cup is leaving you hooked on South Africa, then you might want to keep a little bit of the country around -- in your glass.

As South African vintners will tell you, their vines are planted in very old soil. They're rewinding continental drift, looking at the first supercontinent, 100 million years ago. That's land with heritage. It's getting recognition from the far side the world.

"It's been quite humbling," says Lowell Jooste of Klein Constantia, near Cape Town, "to be selected by the French government ... as one of the nine mythical vineyards of the world." Nobody would claim that the French don't know wine.

The most widely planted grape varietal in South Africa is Chenin Blanc. Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc's on the soft side of dry, with notes of pineapple, lychee, citrus and spice - perfect with fish or salad. 

Look to South Africa for Sauvignon Blanc, as well - and Pinotage (at right), a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is on the rise. Simonsig Pinotage, from the Stellenbosch region, is rich and dark, with deep plum and raspberry flavors. It's a wine begging for a grillside table.

If wine's not your thing, then there's a South African cream liqueur that's hooked more than one traveler: Amarula. Marula is a South African fruit; when it's fermented by the sun, it turns into pickable booze for passing animals. The liqueur's made from ripe - but not sun-fermented - fruit. The fruit's made into wine - don't worry - distilled in column stills and copper pots.

At that point, it's a marula spirit. That's aged for two years in oak barrels, after which it's mixed with cream. It tastes fruity and nutty, with more than a bit of caramel. It's on the sweet side - but, then, it is a cream liqueur. Pour it over ice. If it can cool a South African summer night, then Chicago should present no challenge at all.

Simonsig, Mulderbosch and Amarula can be bought at Binny's.  For Klein Constantia, go to the Chicago Wine Company. 

If you've read today's story on the chef's apiary program at Heritage Prairie Farm, you can expect honey-infused menus all around town later this summer, as well as in some places you might not expect (try Playboy's headquarters).

The farm in west suburban La Fox (near Geneva/St. Charles) isn't just about honey, of course. It sells its produce at the Green City Market and at its own market on-site; throws occasional dinners on the farm; and, we just learned, holds a pizza and kickball night -- that's right, kickball! -- every Wednesday.

Individual-size pizzas, fired up in a hearth oven, are $8; side salads (which sounds so pedestrian, but are probably the best side salads you'll ever eat) are $3. Tonight's pizzas: margherita, barbecue chicken and sausage/onion/shroom.

story and photo by guest blogger Seanan Forbes

Ask Spiaggia's chef, Sarah Grueneberg, about balsamic vinegar, and you're in for a happy education. Grueneberg's passionate about the artisanal liquid - and make no mistake, the real thing is artisan-made and expensive.

Because balsamic vinegar is exquisite, and because the artisans need our support, Grueneberg wants people to buy the real thing. That bargain supermarket bottle probably isn't. More likely, it's a careless composition of cider vinegar, sugar and caramel coloring. Read the label. Wince at the ingredients. Then dig into your pocket, go to Williams-Sonoma or Spiaggia (where there's a house label ready to buy), or visit Amazon.com, and pay for a premium product.

Don't begrudge the cost. Andrea Bezzecchi of Acetaia San Giacomo says, "To make a bottle of 100 milliliters of traditional balsamic vinegar, we need at least 100 kilos of grapes."

With aged balsamico, factor in 15 percent reduction every year ("A lot of angels' shares," Bezzecchi notes ruefully) and the price becomes comprehensible.

Traditional balsamic vinegar is aged in barrels. Grueneberg, who appears to have the process happily memorized, says it starts in oak and ends in chestnut.

Bezzecchi's oldest barrels are in their fifth decade of use. He inherited them - and he treats them with care. When a barrel starts to leak, he builds a new barrel around it, keeping vinegar and heritage intact.

Bezzecchi, who makes Spiaggia's vinegar, says the most important quality is that sweet-sour balance in the taste. "Thickness isn't as important ... because a product could be thick, but it could be with gums," he says. There will be none of that on Spiaggia's tables.

For real luxury, make a reservation at Spiaggia and enjoy the balsamico tasting menu. Every stage of balsamic, from saba (cooked grape must - fresh juice - that is the first stage of traditional balsamic vinegar) to the chilled-honey-thick aceto balsamico tradizionale oro (gold, aged a minimum of 25 years), is paired with food that will show it at its best. For those who are counting, that's seven stages of vinegar and seven stages of dinner. Sommelier Steven Alexander accepted what must have been a nightmare challenge and created a wine pairing for each dish.

Those who think fresh ricotta with balsamic vinegar isn't pure seduction should get ready for a change of heart.

If your luck runs to the very good, then you might try getting a cancellation at Spiaggia tonight. Bezzecchi, who's getting married in 10 days, has taken a very brief detour to Chicago. Tonight only, he'll be pouring his vinegar at Spiaggia.

The rest of us, who aren't so fortunate, will be relieved to know that, while Bezzecchi's heading back to Italy, his vinegar and the tasting menu are staying right here.