Revival Food Hall Adds Lito’s Empanadas to Lineup

Lito’s Empanadas, a casual spot that’s been serving Latin American pastries for 11 years in Lincoln Park, has opened a new location inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop. Lito’s has displaced Black Dog Gelato; Black Dog’s frozen treats will now be available from a cart that will roam the hall. Revival is the food hall operated by 16” on Center, the company behind venues including Dusek’s Board and Beer in Pilsen, the Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village, and MONEYGUN in the West Loop.

Owner/chef Ernesto Guzman opened his first Lito’s in 2007 in Lincoln Park. A year before that he opened a full-service restaurant, Chilango Mexican Street Food in Little Italy on Taylor Street. Earlier this year, Guzman opened a Lito’s inside Chicago’s French Market. He took over the Aviato Eats space. Lito’s recently hooked up with a few new investors who are making the expansions possible, according to a spokesperson for Revival Food Hall.

The changeover from Black Dog to Lito’s happened last week. Lito’s is one of 16 food vendors at Revival. Take a look at the menu below.

Food: Cherry dutch baby is easy and delicious, baby

That’s how excited I get when I see the fruit truck at the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market, unloading crate after crate of the ruby red jewels. I wait all year for this day, and happily wait in line with my treasures. The fact that they come from an orchard in the Okanagan beats out anything that comes from Washington, in my opinion. B.C. cherries are the best, and we’re lucky to get them every weekend in the summer.

So, what to do with them, besides eat them by the handful? I suppose the real question is what can’t you do with them? They are glorious on top of overnight oats, stirred into grainy salads, folded into cakes and muffins — and then there is pie. There is always pie.

If you don’t have a cherry pitter, I suggest you get one, as it makes dealing with this fruit that much better. Standing at the counter, trying to take the pit out with a knife or some other doodad really is the pits, pardon the pun. A friend, aware of my cherry addiction, gave me a pitter years ago and it’s my most treasured kitchen tool in the summer.

Breakfast is a big deal around here, and I love whipping up a Dutch baby whenever I get a chance. Dutch baby pancakes are the love child of a pancake, a popover and a crepe all baked up in one giant skillet. You get the best qualities of each of these, and it only takes 20 minutes to bake.

Essentially, a thick, crepe-like batter is poured into a screaming hot skillet that has been preheated and well coated in butter. The eggs in the batter make it puff up like crazy, the edges get crispy and then the whole thing collapses, waiting for whatever goodness you wish to fill it with. It’s really quite a lovely thing to behold. Fresh, seasonal fruit is then scattered on top. And do give it a dusting of icing sugar for a fancy effect.

I like to make these when I don’t have time to stand at the stove and make pancakes or crepes. The batter gets whirled up in the blender, so there aren’t a lot of bowls to wash up, either. And the whole thing looks to darn impressive when you pull it from the oven — definitely Instagram worthy.

Out of the oven, the Dutch baby will quickly slump back into the pan as the steam holding it up quickly evaporates in the cooler air of your kitchen. What’s left behind is a pancake with the soft, tender texture of a hot crepe and the eggy flavour of a sweet popover. All it needs now is some sweet cherries, and maybe a drizzle or two of maple syrup. Glory be, indeed.

Cherry Dutch Baby

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

3 Tbsp icing sugar

Maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the rack in the centre of the oven.

Place the eggs, flour, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a blender. Blend on high until you have a smooth batter. Place the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven.

Remove the skillet from the oven once the butter has melted and then use a pastry brush to evenly coat the sides and bottom of the pan with the butter. Blitz the egg mixture for another 10 seconds and then pour it into the prepared skillet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the Dutch baby is puffed and golden brown.

Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about five minutes. Cut the Dutch baby into four, top with cherries and dust with icing sugar.

Serve warm on your prettiest plates (because life is too short to keep them all alone in the cupboard), or if you’re like me and live alone, go ahead and eat it out of the skillet. I won’t tell anyone. Leftovers can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one day.

Notes: Top the Dutch baby with any seasonal fruit or berries, or fruit compotes. Even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and icing sugar is sometimes all you need.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any 10-inch baking dish with sides at least two and a half inches high will do.

Tips For Your Home Bar, Plus Cocktail And Trail Mix Recipes

On this most American of holidays, I went to local spirts (and tiki) connoisseur Dean Hurst for some expert advice about tiki culture — and the drinks that foster the colorful, tropical vibes.

Tiki bars are an American creation, though they borrow their ambience and cocktail inspiration from Polynesian islands and the Caribbean. They were huge in the 1940s and ’50s. We don’t have many of the kitschy spots around here, which is why Hurst decided to build one in his backyard. To read more about his home setup and to learn how to make 6 classic tiki drinks, click here .

But for this column, I was inspired by Hurst to up my at-home bar game. He talks a lot about little things you can do to make your home cocktail-making (and drinking) experience more special.

So while you may have most of the food nailed down for today’s patriotic festivities, here are some ideas to up your bar game — whether or not you have built a tiki bar on your porch.

BYOB(ottle)

If you’re having friends or family over and they like a good cocktail, ask everyone to bring one bottle of something they enjoy. It doesn’t have to be unopened; they just have to be willing to share. Make one round of drinks with one person’s bottle, then move to another bottle, and so on. It’s a fun and affordable way to try a bunch of different liquors.

Fruit forward

Even if you are using Solo cups for your cocktails today, you can still garnish the heck out of those drinks. Citrus is always a good idea, as are pitted cherries. Have a vegetable peeler on hand and gently peel a strip of lemon rind or orange rind, then simply bend it almost in half and set gently on the rim of your cup. Or roll the peel into a cute shape and secure with a toothpick stacked with a couple fresh (or maraschino) cherries.

Designated shaker

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker and you like to make drinks at home, you should invest in one. But you can and should improvise one for these festive occasions. It will make your drink-making more seamless and authentic. Try using a tall cup or glass, and find a leftover container lid or other flat cover that can cover the opening of the cup. Add drink ingredients to the cup, place cover on top of cup, then shake well. Be careful when you shake, and you might spill a bit, but it’ll get the job done. Another thing I noticed from watching Hurst make drinks: He used a drink blender to blend many of the drinks with ice, resulting in a not-quite-slush but still very icy consistency that was marvelous on a hot day. You can easily do this with an immersion blender, especially if you’re mixing up lots of drinks at once. Just be sure to use a plastic vessel or something else that can withstand the blades of your blender: Mix the drink in there, then insert the immersion blender and give it a few whirls.

Serve snacks

If you’re spending the day trying a few different cocktails, snacks are a must. You need something to soak up all that booze, plus who doesn’t crave something salty and crunchy around drink No. 2? To go with the tiki bar theme, I came up with a tropical snack mix that has salty, crunchy, and some slightly sweet elements.

RECIPES

One of my favorite drinks this summer is the Pineapple Gin Freeze. Click here for the recipe. And below is a sweet and salty snack to pair with it.

Tropical Snack Mix

1 cup raw whole cashews

½ cup raw macadamia nuts

1 cup pretzel twists, roughly chopped or broken into smaller pieces

1 cup dried pineapple, roughly chopped

1 cup dried mango, roughly chopped

½ cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes

½ cup honey

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

Add cashews, macadamia nuts, pineapple, mango and coconut flakes to a large bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add honey and butter. Cook until butter is melted, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.

Let sauce cool slightly, for at least 5 minutes. Pour sauce over contents in bowl, and stir really well to make sure sauce is coating snack mix.

Divide into smaller bowls or ramekins and set out around the area where you’re serving drinks.

Makes about 4 cups.