When Chefs Collide — Taste Buds Explode!

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“Good food doesn’t need to be stuffy or overpriced.”

(PRWEB) February 12, 2014

The Chicago dining scene will enjoy an innovative culinary “collision” between cookbook authors and TV personalities, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef, Gale Gand and The Hearty Boys, celebrity chef, Dan Smith and celebrity mixologist, Steve McDonagh.

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SpritzBurger is located at 3819 North Broadway in Chicago (the former site of The Hearty Boys’ Michelin recommended restaurant, Hearty).

Dinner is first come, first served; Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10-ish.

The Hearty Boys’ wildly popular Sunday brunch is reimagined with Gale's influence and can be enjoyed, 9 a.m. to 3-ish, beginning February 23, 2014.

The chefs call this collaboration a “burger joint and old-fashioned soda fountain mashed-up with today’s cocktail revolution.”

SpritzBurger is modestly priced and features top-shelf gourmet ingredients like grass-fed beef and locally sourced, artisanal cheeses — with tempting house-made condiments and novelties, like specialty ketchups and mason jars on every table, filled with an ever-changing selection of pickled vegetables.

Other tasty twists offered by this unique “collision of chefs,” include vintage seltzer cocktails — the inspiration for the word “Spritz” in the restaurant’s name — and house-made sodas, including Gand’s signature cinnamon-ginger-vanilla root beer. Diners will enjoy fun tableside preparation for some of the craft cocktails and libations.

Renowned for her innovative dessert creations, Gand has planned an array of irresistible sweet “finishes” for your dining enjoyment. These include butterscotch pudding with salt-and-pepper peanuts, chocolate devil dogs with marshmallow stuffing, lemon meringue pie with blackberry paint, sticky toffee pudding with toasted almond ice cream and Blackout Cake — Gand’s version is highly requested, and was featured in “Food & Wine” magazine in 2013.

“We felt that the neighborhood needed a more accessible Wednesday/Thursday kind of place,” said McDonagh. “Dan and I are thrilled to be working with our longtime friend, Gale Gand, a talented chef we both greatly admire. We’ve known Gale for many years, both socially and professionally. We believe that the fun that we’ve had in creating this menu will show itself tableside, as our guests ultimately become a vital part of the memorable SpritzBurger experience.”

“We’ve collaborated on a number of special dinners and brunches over the years … and always have a great time sharing our excitement for food and cooking,” said Gand. “At SpritzBurger, we have a really inventive ‘dish development process’ … kind of like what happens when artists get together to collaborate on a mural or large art installation. One chef will come up with an original idea and pass their creation on to the others for their input … then we all continue to work on a concept until we get things to the point where we’re happy with it, and want to share the dish with our family and friends.”

A number of the unique new burger creations are the direct result of the shared personal history between the three chefs. “Early on in our friendship with Gale and her family, we had them to our weekend place in Michigan — Camp Madron,” noted Smith. “We went grocery shopping late at night and hungry … always a mistake! Steve grabbed a can of Spam off the shelf … Gale grabbed some eggs and veggies … and I grabbed some soft Kaiser rolls, and together we created these delicious Spam and egg sandwiches … and voila, the ‘Late Night Madron Burger’ was born.”

Smith reassures the “Hearty” faithful that there will be a number of non-burger entries that have made the transition to the new SpritzBurger menu. “Hearty was voted among the top eight places for fried chicken in Chicago,” said Smith. “That’s definitely high praise for a guy whose closest contact with the South has been the South Shore of Long Island where I grew up. In putting together the menu for SpritzBurger, I was inundated with pleas to keep the fried chicken … so of course I have!”

About Gale Gand

Chef Gale Gand is a nationally acclaimed pastry chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, television personality, teacher, entrepreneur and mother. Chef Gand has been recognized as Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year by The James Beard Foundation and by “Bon Appetite” magazine. For eight years, Gand hosted the Food Network series “Sweet Dreams” — the first nationally televised all-dessert show anywhere. Gand is a prolific cookbook author with eight titles to her credit. Her next book, “Gale Gand’s Lunch!” will be released in April 2014. http://www.GaleGand.com

About The Hearty Boys

The Hearty Boys, Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, are nationally recognized television hosts, trend-setting caterers, dynamic restaurateurs and esteemed cookbook authors. In 2005, they earned the respect and accreditation of the food industry when they won the first season of Food Network's hit series, “Food Network Star.” The Hearty Boys believe first and foremost that dining out should be an accessible and comfortable experience for guests of their restaurants, and offer artful preparations that make the dining experience both memorable and fun. http://www.HeartyBoys.com

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