House-made charcuterie

Mike Sula reviews Bread & Wine, a wine bar that formerly restaurant-deprived residents of Irving Park are flocking to. Chef Curtis Gamble’s eclectic menu features his house-made charcuterie and internationally influenced items like a banh mi and chorizo tacos with cactus salad. Larger plates include whey-poached chicken breast with leg confit and lamb meat loaf served with yogurt-glazed greens. Best of all was a dessert special he had: panna cotta infused with popcorn and topped with caramel.

In Key Ingredient Craig Schoettler of the Aviary tackles bamboo fungus, experiment with 30 different drinks until landing on a combination of sherry, beer, scotch, rum, and champagne, with a little Lemon Hart 151 thrown in for good measure. Next up is Charles Joly of the Drawing Room, working with ambergris, which Schoettler described as “dried whale vomit.”