Steve Dolinsky has won an amazing 12 James Beard Awards for his TV and radio work. Yes, he’s that good. He’s also in great company as Alan Richman’s writing in GQ received 14 while Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group won an unprecedented 25 James Beard Awards !
Steve still reports stories each week for ABC 7 (Chicago), The Chicago Tribune, The Globe & Mail (Canada) and writes for The Chicago Tribune, The Globe & Mail (Canada). Stay tuned to his website for details of at food tour he’ll be conducting in New Orleans in March 2014, one that AAA Group Travel is organizing with him.
I caught up with him recently and posed our Guest Foodie questions to him.
Which food product or gadget would you never give up? I can’t live without my yellow, ceramic juicer, because I’m constantly squeezing limes for my handcrafted cocktails or adding a burst of citrus to something I’m making.
What do you like to serve when you entertain? Cocktails, obviously, usually batched out ahead of time, in pitchers without ice (that just dilutes it). I also love to serve the best olives I can find and some firm, salty 
manchego cheese and a boatload of marcona almonds for nibbling.
Describe your “last meal?” Probably fried chicken, with a teeth-shatteringly crisp exterior skin, most likely dressed “Korean style” with sesame/soy/garlic from Crisp, my go-to joint in Chicago; A big ol’ bowl of matzo ball soup (with a floater, not a sinker) from Dillman’s (also in Chicago) and a creamy butterscotch pot de creme, not unlike the kind I’ve had at the hands of Nancy Silverton in L.A.
What food is your secret guilty pleasure? Almost any flavor of ice cream from Graeter’s (Ohio) or Salt & Straw (Portland, OR) – they deliver anywhere. I’m not a huge ice cream guy, but I make exceptions for those two.
What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? Lula Cafe. I just love their commitment to local, organic farms. It’s almost like our very own Chez Panisse. The atmosphere is super laid-back and they’re open on Mondays, which is a rarity. Also, because you can stop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and on Mondays, they have a three-course special based on whatever they picked up from the farms over the weekend. Never had a bad meal there.
What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Yuzu. Japanese cooks have been using this fruit for years, but now we’re seeing it in sauces that go way beyond soy, as well as in an extract for drinks. It has the most wonderful citrus pop and really adds a delicious layer of complexity to anything.
Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: I was trying to make a root vegetable gratin once, and sliced my potatoes way too soon, thinking i was going to be organized. Naturally, they all turned brown since I didn’t soak them in water. I had to toss them all out, run out to the store to get more and peel and slice like mad before guests arrived.
Follow Steve on Twitter – @stevedolinsky
– bonnie
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