Road Trips Inspire Scout Chef

Chefs find inspiration for their menus in a wide range of places. And for those who love travel—whether in planes, trains or automobiles—their personal trips often stir up delicious dishes that their restaurant patrons later get to enjoy.

That’s certainly the case for Executive Chef Gregg DeZutti, who heads the kitchen at The Scout Waterhouse and Kitchen, a popular new “upscale tavern and sports bar” that opened in Chicago’s South Loop in August. Standing at the corner of 13^th and Wabash Street, this cozy, sports TV-friendly spot (yes—34 flat screens!) features a superbly flavored and wonderfully affordable menu perfect for noshing, whether it's during your favorite football game or when catching up with good friends. Menu items for lunch, brunch and dinner range from $3 to $19 and include everything from small plates and flatbreads to stacked sandwiches and hearty entrees.

No wonder DeZutti’s “classic American menu with a twist” is so down-to-earth and approachable: this chef gets much of his culinary inspiration from places he visits during driving road trips. Many of which are unique, often Mom-and-Pop-type eateries—not necessarily those that get honored with Michelin stars.

“I’ve always loved driving,” says Chef DeZutti, who grew up in southern New Jersey, Connecticut and Indianapolis. Chef DeZutti can’t always remember the names of these spots, but he recalls what made the eats so good. A vintage car aficionado, he dotes on his 1969 Alfa Romeo convertible and loves hitting the road for one- or two-day road trips.

“You can come across a couple of diners and have a really good hamburger or grilled cornbread,” he says. “And you’re like, ‘WOW.’ The smaller, the better. I find local holes-in-the-wall have much better food. The places that don’t seem like they should be there, those are the places I go.”

Why is it that diners—whether regular folks or professional chefs—tend to eat more experimentally when traveling?

“Most of these holes-in-the-wall are really cheap,” Chef DeZutti says. “When I’m on the road, I've been driving for a bit. Especially when I’m in my convertible, there’s no radio. You’ve got the wind in your hair, the sun in your face—you just feel more adventurous. You find these places and you feel good because you’ve been driving in this cool car for the past couple hours.”

Road-trip inspirations that have found their way onto The Scout’s recently updated menu include brussels sprouts sautéed in bacon fat, sprinkled with salt and pepper. A visit to an eatery in southern Indiana 15 years ago made quite the impression on Chef DeZutti—and now he serves this side dish along with The Scout’s short ribs entrée and an accompanying squash puree, served up with a dash of cinnamon and ginger. “It was just so simplistic,” he recalls about the Indiana sprouts. “I think sometimes chefs have a tendency to complicate food.”

Also on his menu: a “signature foot-long grilled cheese” sandwich with Brie and red onion jelly, served up on brioche. Another grilled specialty features Swiss cheese, ham and red onions, sandwiches he thinks he first tried during a trip to Cincinnati.

The Scout’s fire-roasted chicken with tomatoes and sage is the result of inspiration that came from an off-road biker barbecue. Chef DeZutti was helping a guy whose bike had broken down and once the bikers learned he was a chef, he found himself part of the cooking action. That day he grilled some tomatoes and laid them across the chicken—something he now repeats for this new Scout entrée featuring a 10-ounce chicken breast.

Who knows what future travel-inspired dishes will wind up on The Scout’s menu? Chef DeZutti’s reminiscing about a Yorkshire Pudding he enjoyed during a 2001 trip to England, thinking “maybe one of these days I’ll find a way to make it more unique” for his diners.

Now married with a toddler, the chef doesn’t hit the road as often—or for as long—as he did in the past. But “I am looking forward to the day when (my son) and I take our first road trip in the convertible—and I know he is, too.”

Tagged as: The Scout Waterhouse and Kitchen, Chef Gregg DeZutti, road trips and South Loop

Share:

Maureen Jenkins s a food/travel writer and communications professional who's visited more than 30 countries and territories, lived in Florence, Italy -- and is spending the year in Samois-sur-Seine, a charming village near Paris, France. The self-proclaimed “urban travel girl” talks travel, food and wine – abroad and in Chicago – in “TCW Travel Connection.” Read more of her thoughts on living globally at UrbanTravelGirl.com.