Lisa Futterman – Page 8

Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

Drink This: The new power couple at Chicago bars? Matcha and alcohol

July 2, 2019 at 3:59 p.m.

What ingredient is bright green, high in antioxidants, said to produce "calm energy" when ingested, and prone to punny names when included in cocktails? If you said matcha, the stone-ground,...

The Chiampan at Otto Mezzo is an ode to Lambrusco, the fizzy red Italian wine.

Drink This: Black cherry and fierce bubbles star in Italian cocktail, on tap at Otto Mezzo now

June 4, 2018 at 7:57 p.m.

My darkest wine secret? I love Lambrusco — have since high school, when swilling Riunite's bubblegum-sweet version seemed way cooler than chugging wine coolers. Thankfully, the true Italian Lambrusco is...

Switch up brunch with Verde Marias, instead of that same ol’ bloody mary

August 18, 2019 at 5:35 p.m.

The bloody mary game has been played hard for a long time. Drinks topped with cheeseburgers, seafood skewers and Italian hoagies have all made an appearance, and build-your-own bloody mary...

New artichoke-based liqueur is latest entry on amaro shelf

July 2, 2019 at 3:59 p.m.

Amari, those bitter, Italian-style digestivi, are quite the rage behind the bar, and all the fruits and vegetables with a bitter side are getting to show their stuff. We've seen...

Sweet potatoes take unexpected path into subtly spiced liqueur

July 2, 2019 at 3:59 p.m.

The story of Corbin Cash Sweet Potato Liqueur is a tale about farming in California's Central Valley. In 2007, after growing sweet potatoes and rye for 90 years, the Souza...

19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

Bruto Americano, a Campari cousin, is anything but ugly

June 6, 2018 at 7:07 a.m.

Does the world need another Campari? The iconic bittersweet Italian aperitif in recent years has exploded in popularity, climbing the cocktail charts in the likes of Negronis, Boulevardiers and spritzes....

Dutch distiller sends another bracing bitter liqueur our way. We take a sip

June 6, 2018 at 9:08 a.m.

If you've been to the Netherlands, perhaps you have sampled genever, the distinctively flavored ancestor to gin that is traditionally sipped neat from a full-to-the-brim tulip glass accompanied by a...

Italian gin Malfy is like limoncello’s adult cousin

June 8, 2018 at 12:54 p.m.

Gin is in. Italy is in. Negroni cocktails are in. It was only a matter of time before an Italian gin came to market. Wait a minute, you are thinking....

Amaro Cinpatrazzo is made from arugula sourced from hydroponic produce grower Urban Till, which also supplies sage and mint. A variety of other flavoring agents make up the liqueur, though owners Pat Magner and Cindy Tegtmeyer would reveal little more about their secret blend of ingredients.

Arugula in amaro? Italian trip inspires Chicagoans’ locally sourced spirit

June 8, 2018 at 7:27 p.m.

Sometimes when two people love each other, they get together and make an amaro out of arugula. Italian-style amari, those classic bittersweet digestive liqueurs, have been cropping up on cocktail...

A syrup spiked with alkermes, left, is used to soak cake before the cake is layered with plain and chocolate pastry cream for zuppa inglese.

Make Italian dessert zuppa inglese now that obscure liqueur is here

June 8, 2018 at 9:02 p.m.

This sweet story begins in the pastry kitchen of a Philadelphia Italian fine-dining restaurant, where I worked as a pastry chef in the late 1980s. We turned out tray after...

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