The Trade Show at the Expo featured tasty organic goods.

Kermit had it right. It’s not easy being green.  And that’s not a reference to navigating the St. Paddy’s Day Parade madness about to ensue in Chicago today. Rather, it’s a good recap of yesterday’s discussions at day two of the Family Farmed EXPO.

We learned all about bringing the organic green to the restaurant scene. A worthy effort? Absolutely. A healthy necessity? We think so. But not easy to do. We heard about what it means to be a green restaurant, met some rock star farmers, sampled organic goodies, and watched the documentary Fresh. Check out our latest photos, and tune in on Twitter for a play-by-play of day three now in progress.

Signature Room Chef David Schuminsky serves up caviar, but later admits he'd rather eat steak.

There wasn't a Cherry Lime Rickey in sight, but Bill Kurtis still had plenty to say about food yesterday, as he discussed Tallgrass Beef.

Do know a local farmer? Or a restaurant Entrepreneur? We got to know some a bit better yesterday at the Family Farmed EXPO, where we attended a series of panel discussions and speakers touching on everything from ways to access fresh food and finance sustainable food businesses, to how to scale a local food business.

Follow our continued live coverage of the expo today and tomorrow via Twitter, check out our list of other tweeters involved in the event, and take a look at pictures from yesterday’s panels. Then stay tuned for more discussion about food policy on Chicago Bites as we continue our crash course in learning about what we eat.

Enjoy this vegan interpretation of Kung Pao.

The Loving Hut
5812 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660
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Peanut butter cupcake at Xoco.

I returned to Xoco last week with fellow foodie @urbanmatt and was pleased to find peanut butter cupcakes available for dessert. I couldn’t resist ordering one to top off our meal because I wondered if Rick Bayless’ contribution to the national cupcake craze would match up to other cupcake delights throughout the city.  I also applaud any chef who is man enough to give cupcakes a try, not because they’re hip, but because truly good specialty cupcakes are hard to make.

Does Bayless’ make the grade? Yes and no.  His peanut butter frosting is wonderful — light, airy, and not the least bit grainy. But unfortunately, the cake itself was way overcooked. It had a chocolate ganache center, but that didn’t make up for the cake’s outer edges being almost crispy. It stuck to wrapping when I peeled it back, and the part that didn’t was a tad dry.

Go with ice cream or hot chocolate at Xoco for dessert. They won’t disappoint.  And neither will Bayless’ standard specialties. Who says you can’t have guacamole for dessert?

Xoco
449 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654

Who says guacamole is a starter? It's good for dessert too!

What's good enough to eat for Oscar?

What will you be eating when the actors start strolling down the red carpet at the Academy Awards? Here’s a sampling of what’s on your plates this Sunday:

• @Bullballs02 Oscar Meyer Hotdogs. LMAO. I crack myself up.
• @ellembee I used to do a party where you had to bring food related to a nominee. Truman Chipotle Chili, Passion of the Crisp, etc.
• @Hurdler4eva We’ll be eating @ElisCheesecake and @MoreCupcakes at our oscar party – decadent much?
• @eatitdrinkit Attending a party where I’ll be bringing legendary blackened string beans.
• @hellafied We always have a chocolate fountain at our Oscar party! This year, screw the food, I’m sticking my whole face under it!
• @readinggirl1984 I like my friends too much to try and cook. Thankfully @cityprovisions and @MollysCupcakes are available for catering.
• @JessiO I’m working on a menu that features a different goodie based on each of the 10 best picture nominations
• @ABF22 Carrots and celery. no wings and ranch on the side please!

If you have a question for the Twitter community or about dining in Chicago, send us a tweet!

Learn more about locally sourced food and visit with chefs who are part of the movement.

If you’re interested in food policy, organic food, or the slow food movement, consider attending the Family Farmed EXPO March 11-13 at the UIC Forum, 725 West Roosevelt Road.  Here are a few highlights we’re looking forward to:

• We’re going to the Localicious Party. City Provisions, Province, and Lula Cafe will be there, so we expect a ton of great locally sourced food!
• On Saturday, we plan to attend foodie-oriented workshops like “You Ate the Whole Thing” featuring Rob Levitt, Mado; Ehran Ostrreicher, E&P Meats; Paul Kahan; and Mike Sula talking about using the whole animal. More on the workshops here.
• If workshops aren’t your thing, then there are celebrity chef demos all day Saturday. Rick Bayless leads the lineup, and it’s a great way for foodies to get up close and personal with their favorite chefs. See the full schedule here.

There is something at every price point, ranging from $350 for all three days to $15 for the Local Food Festival. Check here for ticket information. We hope to see you there. If you can’t make it, follow along on Twitter with the #FFExpo hashtag.

The porky banh mi and ginger tea from Saigon Sisters.

Want to check out the Chicago French Market in the West Loop? Today is the day to do it!  That’s because Greg Christian of Zullo’s will kick off the market’s Tuesday tasting  series at 5:30 p.m. with a cooking demo of  his local organic winter veggie pasta. After that, you can tour the market and grab a bite or two to take home for dinner.  It’s a win win!

I visited the market for the first time myself on Saturday with fellow foodies Ginny and Cynthia. We wandered among stands from roughly 30 local vendors, sampling homemade sausage, olive oil, and honey tangerines as we went.

Thanks to a number of enthusiastic recommendations from our Chicago Bites Twitter followers, we tried the porky banh mi from Saigon Sisters for our main course.  The Vietnamese food at the French market is standout! Ironic? Maybe. But it’s true.  Don’t miss out on this braised Duroc pork belly sandwich! It packs a fresh flavor punch you’ll remember and crave.

We also enjoyed sharing a Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Miss Giving’s – 50 percent of the bakery’s proceeds go toward helping people affected by homelessness.

And since we were at a “French” market, I couldn’t resist getting a chocolate croissant from Vanille Patisserie to take home. Later that night, I savored every flaky bite.

Go ahead and swing by the Chicago French Market on your way home. You know you want to!

Chicago French Market
131 N. Clinton
Chicago, IL 60606
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The Downtown Farmstand is a great place to get locally produced food year-round, and now you can go there to learn about food culture too.

Last week, the Farmstand launched what they hope to be a free monthly food education speaker series with author Terra Brockman, a food and farm advocate. Her book, The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, details a year in the life of her brother’s sustainable farm in Illinois. In addition to reading, Brockman talked about having respect for good food and just what it takes to get what you eat to your plate. She also said there is a great need for food producers.

Judith Dunbar Hines (left), Chicago's director of culinary arts & affairs, chats with Terra Brockman.

“The average age of the American farmer is 60,” she said. “We need to get more people involved in farming.”

To that end, Brockman founded a nonprofit called The Land Connection that aims to conserve Midwest farmland, train farmers, and connect them with resources to sell their goods.

The next speaker series event at the Farmstand is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, and will feature local women entrepreneurs in the food business.  Stay tuned for more details!

The Chicago Firehouse was built in 1905, and there's still fire polls in the bar.

The last stop on Chicago Bites’ 2010 Restaurant Week tasting tour was The Chicago Firehouse, a steakhouse located in a charming building that used to be a real Firehouse. It was built in 1905, and much of the original structure has been preserved both inside and out, including the intricate tin ceiling, the tile walls, and two fire polls in the bar.

Steakhouses are too often cut from the same cloth, from their dark wood-paneled interiors to their uninspired side dishes.  But the traditional fare at Firehouse, like the building itself, has a bit more character, and its Restaurant Week offerings reflected that.  For example, the Cesar salad starter was light and fresh, and the eight ounce CFH prime steak main dish was topped with a blue cheese crust and red wine sauce that was a wonderful complement — not at all overpowering.

We wandered off the set menu to order sides — maple whipped sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus. Both were excellent choices!

Of the two desserts on the Restaurant Week menu — key lime pie and three-layer chocolate cake — the pie is the standout.

There’s still one more day before this week’s dining deals are done, and Firehouse is worth a visit if steak is what you crave.

The Chicago Firehouse
1401 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 786-1401 | Make Reservations
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Firehouse’s full Restaurant Week menu