My husband and I have eaten at Chicago’s Steak and Seafood in Roswell for years, mostly for the buttered croissants you could smell from the parking lot. Recently I read in a local blog that the original chef was back and we visited again. Heavenly croissants were back but more importantly, I nearly had an out-of-body experience eating the shrimp and grits. I tried to replicate at home with no luck. Not sure if it is the type of sausage or blend of seasonings but it is the best I have ever had. Do you think you could get the secret out of them? Many thanks! —Carolyn Polakowski, Marietta
Oscar Galan, 17-year veteran executive chef and proprietor of Chicago’s Steak and Seafood, is a generous man with his recipes. He was happy to provide this one. One reason the dish is so good is that the restaurant uses white stone-ground grits from Geechie Boy Mill in Edisto, South Carolina.
The grits are the longest cooking part of this dish. The shrimp and its seasonings go together quickly. The garlic butter called for is a compound butter seasoned with parsley, white wine, onion salt, garlic powder, lemon juice and chopped garlic. The restaurant makes it 10 pounds at a time. You could just use your favorite butter and add a little pinch of the dry seasonings and a bigger pinch of fresh chopped parsley and garlic to come close to duplicating the taste.
The restaurant uses Chablis in both the garlic butter and in the white wine used in the shrimp sauce. And their blackening spice comes from Sidney’s Spices. It’s a combination of paprika, salt, garlic and top-secret seasonings.
Chicago’s Steak and Seafood, 4401 Shallowford Road, Roswell; 770-993-7464. chicagosrestaurant.com
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
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