Zero Stars: White Mystery!!
This week on ZERO STARS! MISS ALEX WHITE! This redcropped rocker has been crunching out kick ass licks in some of the best groups to come out of the Chicago scene in the last decade, including Hot Machines, Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra, and most recently White Mystery, a two-piece with her bro White Francis. She can also flex some serious food muscle, so, of course we talk about hot dogs. Look, she even has food named after her: “Every Halloween, Lula Cafe dresses up as another local restaurant for one night only, including a parody menu and decor. Last year, they fashioned their menu after Kuma’s Corner, which is a famous metal-head bar in town that names burgers after bands. The Chicago Reader featured Lula’s, ‘double-stacked ALEX WHITE, which features frizzled beet, presumably in honor of the local rocker’s red locks.’ It was cool to eat myself, and to see a whole room of people eating me too.”
Carrot Cake, Lula Cafe
Chewdout: What’s one dinner you’ve recently enjoyed?
Alex: On Friday, I dined at Lula Cafe, where eclectic food thrives in Chicago. It was my 26th birthday, and I sat at the marble counter facing the kitchen. The dinner I enjoyed: over wintered carrot soup with hominy, basil, espelette, spring vegetable tart with prairie fruits farm goat cheese and sabayon and goat butter biscuit chickpea and sweet potato tagine with arugula, cinnamon, harissa, and cous cous. Carrot cake with creme anglaise.
Chewdout: That sounds awesome. And happy birthday! What’s your favorite breakfast?
Alex: Almond butter with sliced kiwi on top of wheat toast, and 6 cups of black coffee.
Chewdout: That sounds like a healthy way to start the day! What’s an unhealthy food that you nevertheless eat?
Alex: Salt and vinegar potato chips.
Chewdout: MMM.. those are good. Dolly Parton has just shown up at your house unexpectedly for dinner. What do you cook to impress?
Alex: According to Answers.com, Dolly Parton’s favorite food is hotdogs, so I’d take her to Hot Doug’s, the encased meat emporium of Chicago!
Hot Doug’s
It’s a famous joint that started the fancy sausage fad, where you can get Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Antelope Sausage with 4-Cheese Dijonnaise, Curry pork sausage, Alligator, or the “Elvis,” which is a charred Polish dog with all the standard fixings. Dolly seems like the fun-loving type.
Chewdout: I’m sure she’d love it! What’s one thing that you can cook exceptionally well?
Alex: My favorite meal to cook consists of yummy pink salmon burgers, on a bed of shredded red cabbage, with a big dollop of guacamole, and little corn tortillas. A single avocado can serve a lot of people when it’s chock full of cubed vegetables, like carrots and celery. Sometimes it’s followed by a chocolate, walnut cake, but that’s baking!
Spider Roll, Katsu
Chewdout: Chicago likes to bill certain foods as “chicago style,”, Like chicago style hot dog, chicago style pizza, etc.. What’s the most pointless “chicago style” food you’ve run across?
Alex: Chicago hot dogs and pizza earn those titles rightfully. How about Chicago food that deserve a lot more credit? Mexican cuisine here, like Wholly Frijole in Lincolnwood, puts all other cities to shame for freshness, authenticity, and price. I miss Vietnamese sandwiches from Nhu Lan Bakery and spider rolls from Katsu more than my family when I’m on tour.
Chewdout: I can see why! You’ve got $10 to make a meal, but you can prepare the meal with only a knife, what do you make?
Alex: I’d cut off my finger with the knife, eat it raw, and spend $10 on beer.
White Mystery’s new LP Blood & Venom just dropped like Red Hots outta the box! Cram it in your mouth here!!
