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County Faretasty fresh CHICAGO (MCT) — The men head straight for the Wicker Park backyard carrying beer and prized cuts of raw meat. There, in the charcoal haze of three grills crack- ling on a 40-degree night, they find dozens of other men just like them — wearing hooded sweat- shirts, often speaking with their mouths full and not worrying about what their girlfriends or wives might say. & Manbque: Night out for males and meat Quick-fix shrimp is high on No offense to the ladies whose presence at these gatherings is pro- hibited — they love you, they really do — but this is the "Manbque," the one evening each month reserved just for males. It remains a sensitive issue, but here in Chicago, the men of Manbque say there's nothing sexist about their group. For the past six years, it has given them the chance to cele- brate manhood, network and share a passion for meat-eating. In some ways, the gatherings are inspired by the way women connect, its lead- ers say. "Girls do 'girls' night out,'" said Jesse Valen- ciana, 34, Manbque's cre- ator. "Essentially it's that for guys, like a manly potluck." Over meat lollipops, MCT photo More than 20 members attend the monthly Man- bque grilling event in Chicago.The group, now in its sixth year, gathers to share food, beers, and cooking ideas. just like a welcoming group of friends," Mohamed said. "We have no friends or family here, but Manbque really helped with that, and now I'm proud to call Chicago home." "We came in and it was Similarly, existing restaurant owners who have heard about Man- bque have armed mem- bers with recipes and ingredients for special menu items they would like to showcase. peanut butter burgers and bacon-flavored vodka in shot glasses made of steak, friends — who bring friends, who bring other friends — have transformed the meetings from an intimate gather- ing of buddies to a con- cept being duplicated in 10 other states and in Canada. The group is so popular, it hosts regular events at restaurants, sells T-shirts and caters wed- dings. And at a time when participation in male-ori- ented service clubs is on the decline, some mem- bers see Manbque's popu- larity as proof that mod- ern guys do, in fact, want to stay connected with each other and with their communities. He can thank Valen- ciana and friends. As he and his buddies were get- ting older, marrying, having kids and moving to the suburbs, Valen- ciana wanted an excuse for them to stay in touch. So the Wicker Park resi- dent, who works as a community manager at a design studio, sent out an email proposing a monthly cookout with good beer, loud music and all the meat they could eat. Within months, the group grew from a hand- ful of friends to consis- tently 30 or 40 guests. The men now find out about the gatherings after officially becoming a member on Facebook. Each month, they receive an email with the address. Then it's every man for himself. Each participant is responsible for his own dish to share. The host provides a grill, and one or two members inevitably bring their own. "It's kind of like the guys with the hats, what do you call those? The Moose?" asked Eric Bark- er, 30. "It's easier to be yourself at these events than any other." To begin to understand Manbque, you must play by the rules — their rules. There are 19 of them list- ed on Manbque.com. These include: RULE: Manbque should only be held dur- ing the week. Weekends are for Coed B Ques where there is a slight chance of actually going home with a woman. Last month, Manbque's "meat-ing" fell on a Thursday night, which allowed Al Mohamed just enough time to go home and change after a day at work as a financial ana- lyst. Originally from subur- ban Orlando, Fla., Mohamed and another friend from Florida heard about the event after relo- cating to Chicago a year ago. They thought it might be a good way to meet new people. The members sip beer, socialize, and give each other nicknames like "The Godfather," "Beeferazi" and "Cable Guy." Anything to keep busy until it's your turn at the grill. RULE: Any vegetables served at Manbque must be within the tight para- meters of meat in the form of a kabob. her a pork chop, he said. With the rising popu- larity of the Manbque, Valenciana and other founding members are looking for growth oppor- tunities. Barker, who owns a Web design com- pany, is redesigning the website to stream recipes from all its chapters. Eventually, they envi- sion hundreds of chapters. Maybe it will become the go-to place for cater- ing tailgates and office events. Maybe the brand will be so successful, they will develop its own line of grilling tools and bar- becue sauces and rubs. Maybe they'll compile a best-selling cookbook, or... RULE: Always exag- gerate at Manbque. More Manbque rules • No fewer than four share. Bryan Sierminski, 25, chef at Clutch Bar on Chicago's Near West Side, had a friend bring measured proportions of arugula, Sriracha hot sauce, cream cheese and a slow-cooked onion and tomato mixture for the restaurant's signature Clutcheasy Redux burger. The burgers were devoured in less than an hour. definitely who we want to come to Clutch, those experimental minds, those foodie-interested people," said Sierminski. "That demographic is share. • Trading of beers is only allowed if beers being traded are of equal value and taste. Be aware that your beer is a reflec- tion of you and you will probably be judged based on your selection. • Loose fitting attire is encouraged; sweat pants or basketball shorts are the suggested attire. • The only accepted greeting, form of encour- agement or sign of appre- ciation is a shout of: "Manbque!" • Bring enough meat to • Bring enough beers to Meat is definitely the headliner. Men prepare seared steak with coffee- chili barbecue sauce, Ten- nessee whiskey chops and burger muffins. They grill ostrich and bison and alli- gator. Bacon wins the most popular ingredient award: there's bacon bread pud- ding, bacon bourbon ice cream and bacon cheese- burger pizzas. This month, two budding chefs worked feverishly over the grill to prepare Meat Maki _ meat-filled sushi with bacon, not seaweed, binding it all together. "This has been a great The group's leaders select a winning recipe at each gathering, and that recipe is posted on the website. Valenciana has received emails from Japan and Australia. He's helped start other Man- bque chapters in Massa- chusetts, New York, Con- necticut, Tennessee, Ohio and California _ with four more set to begin meeting this summer in Wiscon- sin, Iowa, New Jersey and Philadelphia, he said. Terri Russ is a commu- nications professor and friendship expert from St. Mary's College — a women's college — in Notre Dame, Ind. Part of the men's success, she said, may be explained by the way they tend to bond, over shared activity. Women tend to bond by talking, she said. Russ added, however, that the men should be careful not to allow them- selves to fall into stereo- types of one-dimensional cavemen. to find a woman, this isn't the way to do it," Russ said. "Can you just imag- ine the pickup lines? 'I went to the Manbque last night.'" Valenciana, who has a girlfriend, insists that the group is all in good fun. He notes that women are welcome at their spon- sored events at bars and restaurants. "If your whole goal is way to preview what we want to do," said Ian Jablow, 22, who is open- ing a restaurant. And if a woman crashed a meeting, wear- ing a fake mustache (as this reporter did), the men would probably shrug their shoulders and pass COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. 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MENU Shrimp scampi has a long history, but definitions vary, from ter, Mixed field greens salad, Fruity pinot grigio EASY LEMONY SHRIMP SCAMPI Serves: 4⁄ Total time: 45 minutes 8 ounces angel hair pasta 11 ⁄2 14 tablespoons dry white wine, divided ⁄2 1 teaspoon kosher salt cup unsalted butter 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ⁄3 1 cup heavy whipping cream ⁄4 ⁄4 different meats are to be served. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions just until al dente. While the water heats, peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact, if desired. Devein the shrimp using a paring knife to make a slit on the back starting at the head and working toward the tail. Remove and discard the vein. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, 2 tablespoons wine, salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a large skillet, heat the butter until melted over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute; do not brown. Add the shallots and red pepper flakes and saute 3 minutes until shal- lots are translucent. Add shrimp mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl to get some of the olive oil, wine, salt and pepper into the skillet. Cook the shrimp on each side until opaque. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons white wine and stir to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the heavy cream, pars- ley, lemon zest and juice. Continue cooking until slightly thickened. Reserve1 cup minced fresh parsley leaves 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest cup of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to skillet and stir to coat with the sauce. The sauce should just coat the pasta and shrimp. Add some of the remaining pasta cooking water and more cream for a saucier dish. ⁄2 384-1563 STAMPS ACCEPT FOOD WE REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS NO CARDS 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper⁄4 ⁄4 Easy Lemony Shrimp Scampi, Baguette slices with herb but- pounds large shrimp (12 to 15 per pound) in the shell 3 tablespoons olive oil 11 heaping tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 medium cloves) 1 cup minced shallots⁄4 Wednesday, May 2, 2012 – Daily News 5A $399 ea Juicy Limes 6 for96¢ Don Tortillas 80 ct Poncho Corn 2 for $400 Vita Freeze 18 pk Twin Pops $ 199 Juice Bars 18 pk or $299 2 for $400 Sara Lee Breads 24 oz Country White, 100% Wheat or 12 Grain 2 for $500 2 for $500 Wines 750 ml Crane Lake 3 for $10 2 for $500 Corona, Modelo or Pacifico 12 pk - 12 oz Bottles $1199 2 for $500 Coors 30 pk - 12 oz Cans Bud or +CRV $1999 Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/nuwaymarket +CRV