The Craftsman Restaurant, helmed by chef Mike Phillips, has made a name for itself the last few years as the must-visit destination for local charcuterie lovers. Why? Because Phillips offers an ever-changing array of salami, sausage, pâté, terrine, headcheese, and other house-made porky treasures. Needless to say, for Easter, Phillips is not content to serve mere ham with pineapple rings. Instead he presents his own unfussy version of the French classic jambon persillé, ham bound with gelatin to fresh parsley. “It’s an Eastertide dish in Burgundy,” notes Phillips. “I guess ham and Jell-O is a universal constant.” Except that Phillips, like the Burgundians, makes his gelatin from pigs’ trotters, not a packet of powder. Pair this jambon persillé with a cold glass of Chablis to experience Easter in classic European style, or add a local microbrew for a taste that’s the very essence of haute Midwestern cooking today.
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