Sausage is a religion in Chicago. And Hot Doug’s is the high altar where locals come to pray from 10:30am to 4pm daily in a steady stream of devotion.

We all stand quietly, penitently in a growing line that snakes down the block outside the small suburban diner. Slowly, the line moves forward a person at a time toward the counter, until you’re finally rewarded with a puff of warm air perfumed by duck fat and frying meat. Hallelujah, baby.

This is the real Chicago–far from touristy Michigan Avenue (where Hard Rock Cafes and Rock ‘n Roll McDonalds pack-em in) and the trendy linen-topped tables where pseudo-California cuisine abounds. I’m at Hot Doug’s Sausage Superstore and Cased Meat Emporium freezing my ass off, and just about as excited as a four-year-old.

Why? Duck fat. My heart is racing (and probably anticipating severe cardiac distress) at the thought of a crispy sausage and French fries cooked in pure duck fat. This is the kind of meal so horrifyingly bad for you that you can’t help but savor every crispy bite.

But that’s just the start. Here at Doug’s, the menu runs from straight up corn dogs to spicy sausage, along with the special ‘Game’ menu that today features ostrich sausage swimming in a bath of Crème de Cassis and tart cherries, all topped with sharp cheddar cheese. I love the Midwest.

Duck fat fries and an ostrich dog, (including a drink): $11. Feeling like you just found a lard-filled nirvana: Priceless.

Hot Doug’s Encased Meat Emporium, 3324 North California, Chicago, 773.279.9550

Next up: Post-modern cuisine at Moto and Alinea.

Chicago in April is cold. As in an maybe 37 degrees and sleeting–in stark contrast to the lush, almost summer-like conditions I left in Sonoma County last week.

Now granted, it was a little thick-headed, but thinking of spring back home, I actually asked someone if there were any good farm markets I could visit around here. She looked at me like I had two heads. Right. It’s winter here. Local produce is still months away. Unless of course, you’re into ramps.

Sometimes it takes getting away from home to really appreciate, well, home.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been trying to eat my way through Chicago as well as attending a food conference that has organics and sustainability (along with post modern gastronomy, but that’s another story) as its foundation.

The whole thing is actually pretty surreal. To my insulated Cali-thinking, I forget that for much of the country, organics, farm markets and sustainable practices are pretty much in their infancy. Locally-grown foods have a wow-factor that’s palpable. And, many of the high-end restaurants here in Chicago are doing the kind of farm-centric menus that we’ve seen in Northern California for years. Artisan meats, root purees, you know the drill. Farm chic is totally hip.

In fact, yesterday, I made a trek across town to a restaurant called FEED for roasted chicken, fries and corn pudding “down home kind of stuff. The interior: Think Moline feed store. The food: Think Moline feed store. In a good way. It was homey and warm. It was cheap. And they had chocolate cake. But the whole thing seemed so out of place in this downtrodden industrial neighborhood. A sort of country-show for urbanites. But all I could think of was how much better I liked the exact same meal–chicken and fries at the recently-opened West County Grill a few weeks ago, not just because uber chef Jonathan Waxman made it, but because it just felt more real. Less of a show, but clean, honest, local cooking.

Which is all pretty weird, considering that Illinois is covered with farms. An hour outside of Chicago is pretty much cornfields from here to Colorado. This is true farmland. But even here, they’re relearning much of what we’ve come to accept as standard in California. Fresh. Local. Seasonal.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Chicago has some incredible food. It’s nice to finally eat a pizza that doesn’t contain sundried tomatoes and arugula. I’m loving the omni-present chocolate lounges. You can’t get a better burger (or at least a more nostalgic one) than at Steak & Shake. I’m looking forward to eating at Moto, a post-modern gastroexperience that includes edible paper and (at least at one point) bacon suspended on a trapeze.

But it’s so nice to know that the warm, SoCo spring is waiting for me back at home. Along with a Rosie Chicken or two.

Like you, I love to eat out. And, like you, I have uh, many of those in-between-paycheck days where things have to get a little creative. I have been known, in fact, to dig for change in my backseat just to avoid those gnarly Tupperware bowls of leftovers in the fridge.

So, here are my secret indulgences for when the wallet’s tight. Seven hearty lunches under $7 and five bites under $5. You’ll never have to brown-bag it again.

1. Chiles relleno combination plate ($5.80), Taqueria Las Palmas: Deep-fried delight stuffed with cheese. 415 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, 707.546-3091.

2. Tomato basil Panini ($6.50), Fourth Street Market Deli: Yes, it’s a little spendy for a sandwich, but this crispy, pesto-filled monster will satisfy you for hours. 300 Mendocino, Santa Rosa, 707.573.9832

3. Stir fry ($6.95), Great Khan: The trick to Mongolian BBQ is learning the ‘stuff’. Start with the meat and press hard until you’ve got a nice well going on. Then load ’em up. 2109 Santa Rosa plz
Santa Rosa, 527-8482

4. Miang Kom ($6.50), California Thai: Dried shrimp, sugar cane paste, and chilis you wrap with spinach leaves. Entertainment and spice all in one. 522 7th St, Santa Rosa, 573-1441

5.Pesto pizza, Mombo’s Pizza lunch special ($6): A huge slice of pizza “go for the pesto “freshly crisped with a house salad and soda. Okay, it may lack creativity, but when you’re craving the ‘za, there’s no match. 1880 Mendocino Ave # B, Santa Rosa, 528-3278

6. Super buffet Chinese buffet: The buffet formerly known as Fou Zhou II. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. A pound of food for under $6.50 is a deal any day. So what if 99 percent of it is fried? 450 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, 707.523.7000

7. Tikka masala ($6.99) Tandoori Express: Starving students know where the real grub is. This is a favorite guilty pleasure. Plus, some of the freshest naan in town. 1880 Mendocino Ave. #D, Santa Rosa, 707.543.8168

Five under $5

Need a super-budget nosh? Check these out

1. Fish taco ($2.10), Taco Del Mar: SEC Lakeville Hwy & S. Mc Dowell Blvd.
Petaluma, 782-9294

2. Rueben dog ($3.95), Hot Dog City: 631 4th St, Santa Rosa, 579-4885

3. Ceviche ($3), Tonyan Mexican Restaurant: 7293 Roxanne Ln, Rohnert Park, 588-0893

4. Pupusas ($2), Pupuseria Salvadorena, 1403 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.544.3141

5. Spam musubi ($1.73), Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, 2150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, 707.571.8882. Also in Petaluma, 205 S. McDowell Blvd., 707.766.8282.

Plus, BiteClub heads to the Windy City to eat, eat, eat. Got any favorite Chicago dishes or restaurants you’d like to see me review? Let me know!

BiteClub has learned that Bistro V, the popular, Michelin-rated Sebastopol restaurant owned by Chef Rick Vargas and his wife, Meekk, has gone up for sale.

An advertisement in the Sunday Press Democrat listed the restaurant for $1.25 million and adds, ‘illness forces sale.’ When BiteClub called the restaurant this morning, an employee explained that Vargas’ wife, Meekk, is ill and the couple are seeking someone to take over their beloved spot. The couple opened the restaurant in 2005.

A note signed by Meekk, sent to BiteClub gave her perspective on the departure:

“Ever since we started operating the restaurant, we’ve had good fortune – the crew that assembled is fantastic, the fruit trees and flowers that we’ve planted are blooming, and the customers have become our second family. We’ve had good press, made it into the Zagat and Michellin guides, and were looking forward to growing along with our community.

We would have liked to continue doing this for many years to come, but as things turned out, we are not in a position to do that now.

We’re looking for a buyer that will adopt the restaurant and take good care of it, keeping the crew, the customers, and the three kittens that live under the building happy. We’re looking for someone who is good natured, experienced, and appreciates good food and fine wine.”

A buyer has not yet been found.

The restaurant previously housed long-time French restaurant Chez Peyo.

Bistro V, 2295 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol, 707.823.1262

Check out a first look at Green string farm, a small farm market going beyond organic. More details to follow…

Green String Farm: 3571 Old Adobe Road, Petaluma, 707.249.0144. Open Friday through Monday 10am to 6pm.

SF chefs head to Napa
top open a red-hot new BBQ joint, BarbersQ. Early reports are glowing, lauding the use of lots of local purveyors like
Alexis Baking Company, Long Meadow Ranch for beef and Fulton Valley
chickens. Plus, cheddar biscuits with ham. Is it hog heaven? BiteClub’s
strapping on the bib as we speak. BarbersQ, 3900-D Bel
Aire Plaza,
Napa,
707.224.6600. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

If you’ve endured a winter anywhere, well, east of the California border, you may understand the unbridled glee that we non-natives feel about spring farm markets. Yeah, that’s us fondling the spring onions and caressing the asparagus.

Weird? You try living on beets, potatoes and cheese all winter.

In the next few weeks, BiteClub heads to some off-the-beaten path farms and markets throughout SoCo. Places like Greenstring Farm, Tierra Vegetables and Canvas Ranch.

But that’s just the start. Where are some of your favorite Sonoma County spots to pick up fresh fruits and veggies? What about eggs, milk or meat? Do you have a secret source, or an incredible find? Think outside the Big Box stores and let us know who’s the best CSA and where to find the freshest greens.

We’ll share the bounty.

Leave your thoughts here on the comments section, or email me!

Greenstring Farm, 3571 Old Adobe Road, Petaluma, 707.249.0144

Canvas Ranch, 755 Tomales Road, Petaluma, 707.766.7171
Sustainable family farm and CSA specializing in culinary and medicinal herbs, vegetables, asian pears, lavender, Araucana chicken eggs, Olde English Babydoll sheep and cashmere goats. Tours, classes, special events, artists welcome. By appointment only.

Tierra Vegetables, Airport Blvd and 101, 707.837.8366
Since 1980 and now farming open Space District land, our diversifyed farm specializes in chiles. CSA subscriptions and farm store.