Every time two cities engage in a heated sporting series, it’s obligatory that the two mayors wager a selection of items from their respective locales. With the Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks battling in the NHL playoffs, Mayor Richard Daley and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have each offered up a gift basket of local favorites.
But which city is getting the better end of the deal?
Tribune food and wine writers Monica Eng and Bill Daley put each city’s offerings to the taste test.
VANCOUVER
Molson Canadian
Daley: Most Chicago brew pubs can make a better beer than this.
Pacific Rim Mushrooms Dried Morels
Eng: Very sophisticated … Whoever wins this is going to be very lucky.
Purdy’s Chocolate: Himalayan Pink Salt Caramels
Daley: I don’t think the salt adds a whole lot, but it’s nice.
Que Pasa Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
Daley: They’re sturdy. It’s not bad, but it needs salt.
Thai Princess Blueberry Sauce
Eng: Wow, it’s almost like a blueberry chutney. … That’s a real score.
CHICAGO
Glunz Family Winery Red Sangria
Eng: Sweet, fruity, refreshing. For Lake County wine, it’s excellent.
Goose Island’s “Red Felt” American Red Ale
Daley: Lovely aroma. That’s killer. … Got a little snap on the end. It’s delicious.
Abundance Bakery’s Red Velvet Cupcakes
Eng: Plenty of icing. Perfect for hockey fans, get it?
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Red Hot Chicago Jumbo Beef Franks
Daley: Beefy and flavorful, though they didn’t have a lot of snap.
Pastorelli Organic Four Cheese Pasta Sauce
Eng: You get chunks, but you also get sauce in there. That would be representative of Chicago.
VERDICT
Eng: I’m going to have to give it to Vancouver because the salted caramels were fantastic, the morels were wonderful and the blueberry sauce really pushed it over the edge.
Daley: I agree with you. … This blueberry stuff is fantastic and I love the fact that we have that $200 bag of morels. Shows that the Canadians were putting it out.
— Dustin Friedman, Kevin Pang.