Chicago Girl Eats

I'm in the Chicago Tribune!

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:50:17 -0500

Hi everyone, don’t forget to purchase a copy of the Chicago Tribune today, or at least check out their site for my article on Saucy Porka and their insanely delicious Chorizo Egg Rolls!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/ct-dining-0523-eat-this-chorizo-20130523,0,6714553.story

In Defense of Food Photos

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:25:23 -0500

An open letter to Dr. Valerie Taylor, chief of psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital at the University of Toronto:

Based on some of the things I’ve been hearing about your speech at the Canadian Obesity Summit I can’t help but feel bad for you. I’m curious to know what your relationship to food is like based on some of your ideas regarding people who take photos of food.

A Huffington Post article quotes you as saying that you see clients who “struggle to go out and not have food be the key element of all social interaction.” Isn’t food a social experience though? It’s certainly not a solitary one in my world. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as going out with coworkers on a Friday, immediately after work, and venting about the week over a plate of decadent food while putting back a few drinks. Or nothing is as fun as an impromptu family party when my uncle fires up the grill on a Sunday and my aunt texts everyone they have food and people randomly show up with bright colored salads and sides or stunningly scrumptious looking desserts. Or what about looking for an excuse to see a friend that hasn’t been around that much lately and grabbing a quick cup of coffee or some ice cream? Or even if the social interaction doesn’t start out revolving around food, like going to the movies, there will inevitably be the shared bucket of popcorn, some sour patch kids, a pretzel, etc, and food becomes part of the social experience.

Another news source, CBC , has you stating that your clients are “people don’t eat food for its nutritional value alone.” Of course they don’t. Eating is one of the few activities that require all our senses so why would anyone pass up the experience of a nutritious meal that not only tastes great but also is appealing to look at, smells phenomenal, has a preferred texture, and a nice sound (whether it’s a crunch of some lettuce or your food sizzling on a pan or even if you’re just sighing out of happiness)? Any chef will tell you that truly good food is a complete experience and people now more than ever are beginning to understand that. Look at Chicago restaurants like Next where not only are people going for award winning food but also to experience things like 1906 Paris or to relive their childhoods. Nowadays going out to eat is almost like being a tourist so why would you not want to have a camera handy?

I’m sure you will argue that there are people constantly posting some truly awful Instagrams of horrid-looking and horribly dull foods so at least with them there is that underlying evidence of an unhealthy preoccupation with food. True, no one in their right mind wants to see an endless stream of gray hamburgers with some sad looking pickles on the side. But what if that’s a college student on their own for the first time that is just learning how to cook? When I first started out on my own any edible meal that didn’t give my friends food poisoning was a triumph that I wish I had documented. I was so excited when I successfully made tacos, or when my roommates and I pulled off an Easter feast, or when I saw the look of happiness on one of my best friends face when I replicated a dish his mom used to make when he was growing up. Sure, maybe these aren’t the best pictures quality pictures or the most interesting foods, but to the person who is taking them they clearly mean something significant.

Even if it doesn’t have an emotional tie to the photographer what they are eating is a status symbol. In the 17^th century chocolate was reserved mainly for royalty and even was used as a form of currency for a time. In England during the 18^th century venison was symbolic of the highest status possible. Until the industrial revolution white bread was like eating truffles and foie gras now. Food photos are basically like foodies showing off that they are living the high life. Why would you not want to flaunt that you can get duck fat French fries whenever you want? If I’m out on the town and eating something decadent and loving my life at that point I’m definitely going to rub it in everyone’s face. Look at how badass my life is! I earned this. I deserve this.

I know I haven’t touched on the topic of obesity, which was the focus of the summit you spoke at. Personally I think that these people posting tons of food photos aren’t the ones you should worry about. Worry about the people who aren’t talking about food, the ones with bags of cookies hidden under their bed or with containers of vomit in the closet. Worry about the people who aren’t able to explore hobbies in a healthy way, who are stressed and overwhelmed and are eating—or not eating—to try to feel some sense of control. In my experience with various forms of social media even if people don’t post their own food pictures they still go through mine and will strike up a conversation about a barbeque I went to or about cupcakes I baked or about a new restaurant I mentioned that looked interesting. So unless 90% of the people I talk to on a daily basis are concealing eating disorders, I’m going to have to disagree with your opinion of foodies and their photos.

Granted much of the information on your speech was gathered from articles such as this, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/instagramming-food-problem-foodstagramming_n_3230129.html so I’m not certain how accurately you were quoted. The article probably got more hits from the foodies spreading the news that their lifestyle was under attack. But the quotes used in it definitely make you sound like someone who has their own troubled relationship with food consumption. I can only hope that, if that’s the case, one day you’re able to move past that and enjoy food as an experience, not just as fuel.

you go girl. Mark Bava

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:49:03 -0500

Thanks Mark!

And so it begins again...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:48:09 -0500

Summer is officially here. While the weather is still in that completely unpredictable Spring mode and Chicagoans are busting out the torches and pitchforks to use on any meteorologist who isn’t forecasting 70 and sunny (http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2013/05/03/chicago-man-launches-crusade-to-demote-tom-skilling-from-meteorologist-to-weather-guesser), thankfully our restaurants are lugging the patio furniture out of storage and getting some cold drinks ready for the masses of people ready to celebrate the weather being over 40 degrees. For me though, the true marker that summer is here is that Publican Quality Meats just started their Summer Grilling Series back up again. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, says summer is back like a bunch of chefs getting shitfaced in the parking lot while playing with lots and lots of foods on the grill.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with PQM’s Summer Grilling Series it basically is an excuse for PQM’s staff to set up giant grills in the parking lot, invite their chef friends over for drinks and cooking whatever seems good that day, and then just hanging out in the lot while the tiny patio overflows with patrons who are just soaking up the sun, loading up on drinks, and ordering dish after dish from the special menu. Overall it’s probably my favorite summer restaurant event and I absolutely refuse to miss any because they are always a blast and always delicious.

The season kicked off on Sunday with Mark Steuer from Carriage House as the guest chef and I kicked things off with his cocktail contribution, the Bouvier-Lillet consisting of Pimm’s, grapefruit, lemon, grapefruit bitters, and bubbles. I love Pimm’s so I probably could have downed several of these easily, but sadly I had a long drive ahead of me that night so I stuck to just one. I’m still regretting not getting PQM’s cocktail, Kyle’s Snapdragon Pop, which was gin, lemon, and cucumber, but I’m thinking I need to try to create that for the next time I grill because it sounds like something that would go really well with summer foods.

Steuer contributed two dishes to the event, South Carolina oysters which looked amazing but were served with hot sauce which in my world is kind of sacrilegious (if you’re going to eat quality seafood why drown out the flavor) and a grilled asparagus and cornbread panzanella which also looked delicious but I failed to try that too (I have ulcerative colitis and cornbread is one of the few things I have to be very careful about eating).

Thankfully the PQM staff had created their usual list of things that I wanted to completely devour, starting with hummus. I had to get the hummus after missing it the first time it was offered (http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/26833962056/new-obsession-summer-grilling-series-at-pqm) which I still regret, and tasting this latest contribution which was silky and loaded with tiny bits of preserved lemon and parsley (among other things) made me regret missing out on that first opportunity even more. The table next to mine was so infatuated with this dish that they had the waiter trying to get the recipe for them. While not giving the recipe, he did reveal that the chefs blend the chickpeas in super small batches so the consistency is easier to control and did say that the additional ingredients like the lemon is blended/chopped separate from the chickpeas and added to the hummus last.

The second I saw cider glazed pork belly I knew that’s what I had to get. It was grilled perfectly, with a very slight crisp char on the outside while the inside stayed soft and juicy and delicate. It was laid on a puree of English peas and garnished with a cherrystone clam salsa. I could have made a meal just out of the clams and pea puree but the pork belly was a big added bonus. After trying to not lick my plate clean the thought of ordering another one crossed my mind but I needed to save room for dessert.

I pretty much hate rhubarb so when I saw the dessert was honey bread with almonds and rhubarb confit I was really disappointed. Because I wanted to have a decent about of things to blog about I decided to put on my big girl pants, suck it up, and try it (unlike my total aversion to the hot sauce oysters; I’m still upset about missing out on grilled seafood). It’s a good thing I did because it turns out that I actually do like rhubarb and honey bread is a lot more exciting when it’s grilled. The use of rhubarb was very subtle, with the confit in dollops under the bread and some shavings of fresh one scattered on top. The honey was a subtle sweetness which paired well with the little pops of tartness and the almonds added a very small crunch and filled that texture void. Overall this was a major win.

So with this latest and continually awesome grilling series behind I can’t help by look forward to the next one on June 30^th with Jared Van Camp from Nellcote. If this blog hasn’t convinced you to clear your schedule for the next dinner, check out these past blogs for more PQM & Guests goodness:

http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/27834183122/pqm-summer-grilling-series-part-ii

http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/29965994180/the-pqm-obsession-continues

Publican Quality Meats, 825 W Fulton Market http://publicanqualitymeats.com/

Carriage House 1700 W Division St http://www.carriagehousechicago.com/

Chicago Girl Drinks: River North

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:34:33 -0500

Unlike last year, summer is stalling and winter is dragging its miserable frozen feet and refusing to vacate Chicago. While the promise a spring and summer seems more of a line the meteorologists are using to keep the city from becoming suicidal, I’m hoping that the promise of bar patios and icy cocktails will help hold everyone over until it finally hits the 70 degree mark.

I’ve been officially boycotting winter now for a few weeks, refusing to let the cold weather keep me in total hibernation mode. In my girly world this means busting out the heels and cute clothes, leaving the gloves at home and heading out to the bars instead of chilling on the couch with a bottle of wine and all 10 seasons of Friends. Here are some of my recent ventures that have kept me drinking until I forget that it’s cold out…

Pops for Champagne: As much as I practically live at the Blackhawks games, downing 312s and scarfing nachos while trying not to drip disgusting delicious fake cheese on my white jersey, sometimes I just need to have a seriously girly night out. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can fill that void in my life like a fruity colorful sparkly cocktail from PFC. For a River North bar it’s surprisingly economical, with drinks like Corcovado (acai liquor, lime, honey, and prosecco) being delicious and refreshing and only $10. A Bellini Coupette comes in at $13 (whoa, breaking the bank) and is a gorgeous dessert drink with white peach foam, sparkling rose, and raspberry. If you want to get a really good buzz going right off the bat start with a Pamplemousse, with cucumber vodka, grapefruit liquor, honey liquor, Peychaud’s, and cava: delicious and dangerous. If you’re looking to strictly stay with bubbly don’t feel obligated to drop hundreds of dollars on champagne though; there’s a beautiful selection of sparkling wines from around the world that won’t completely annihilate your budget. There are a couple bottles on the menu that start as low as $39, and some half bottles for as low as $28. You can support your local vineyards too with bottles from Illinois Sparkling Co. (http://www.illinoissparklingco.com) at $48. 601 N. State St.

Howl at the Moon: One of my cousins recently turned 21 and gave me the task of taking her and some friends out downtown. I was definitely freaked out a little, racking my brain for ideas that would be fun for a group of college girls as well and for me and my friends. Thankfully, Howl came to the rescue as usual. What girl, of any age, wouldn’t want to listen to live music while drinking cocktails out of buckets? Especially if those buckets are filled with things like Malibu, melon liquor, orange, and lemon lime, or tropical punch vodka, peach, orange, pineapple, and grenadine. If you’re classier than my group and buckets aren’t really your thing, definitely check out the cocktail menu for a fabulous list of girly drinks that are the perfect ways to start out your evening. Also, if you request “Don’t Stop Believing” or “Baby Got Back” you can watch as the piano players roll their eyes and sigh from exasperation as they play those songs for the billionth time. Just remember to tip them well! 26 W. Hubbard St.

Stout Barrel House: To borrow a quote from Jersey Shore (I hate myself for admitting to ever watching it, but whatever) “Nothing good happens after 2am.” Good thing you probably won’t remember what happened at 2 when your drinking excursion at Stout lasts until 4 or 5am. While their cocktail list is a bit small their beer list more than makes up for it and their menu of delicious but incredibly salty bar food means that lots and lots of beer is a necessity. Stay away from items that require a bit more thought, like the antipasti rolls or steamed mussels, and stick with bar foods like animal fries (BACON and SHORTRIB!!!), stout sliders, or lamb sausage sandwiches. It’s a great bar to go out to watch a game, grab some food, and stick around to watch things get a little crazy. Plus, when it’s warm they open up a cute little patio on Clark which is perfect for people watching. 642 N. Clark St.

Vertigo Sky Lounge: Now that the terrace renovations are complete Vertigo is once again a nightlife hot spot. The people-watching is almost as fantastic as the views and even though it’s still a bit cool outside the heaters ensure the patio is completely usable. While reserving a table is kind of a waste unless you have a large group, it’s easy to steal a couch until it gets crowded, and kick back with a bar tender recommendation. Don’t forget to check in on Foursquare so your group can get complimentary glasses of champagne! 2 W. Erie St.

Municipal: By day, Municipal is a quirky lunch/dinner spot which a schizo menu featuring everything from nachos to falafels to risotto to burgers, all organized by city department headings. Wash down a Department of Cultural Affairs flatbread with a cocktail like the River North (absolute citron, St. Germain, Lillet Rose, strawberry, lemon, sparkling rose) or a Little Village (tequila, lemon, Poire liquor, blackberry, ginger beer). By night, however, you’ll want to grab a long island iced tea, grab your single friends, and get ready for a long, crazy night. The bar gets completely packed and the staff is quick to replenish empty glasses so be prepared to talk to strangers and make some new acquaintances (preferably ones who like to bar hop). 216 W. Ohio St.

Barcito: By now all of you know my obsession with Tavernita and its sibling, Barcito. If you ask any of my friends they will all confirm that my drunken wanderings though the city inevitable lead me here. In my defense nothing on this planet—and I mean nothing—is more satisfying that pork belly sliders washed down by a Booty Collins (green tea vodka, passion fruit, lemon) at 1am. While their patio isn’t open quite yet, when it is there is no place in the city I would rather be at night. People watching on LaSalle is always excellent, the staff is always awesome, and the cocktail list keeps me coming back despite the fact that I’ve drank my way through it…twice. While on the weekends it’s an awesome place to stop for some food, nothing beats drinking here on Mondays when they feature guest chefs for their Amigos de Pintxo series. $25 gets you access to an all you can eat buffet of snacks by Chef Ryan Poli and his friends which is perfect because you’ll need something to soak up all the alcohol that you’ve rewarded yourself with for surviving day one back at work. 151 W. Erie St.

While there are so many other fun bars in River North I decided just to focus on the ones I’ve been to recently in my quest to fend off the winter blues and attempt to kick start summer. For the most part all of these are in walking distance too, and if I can make this trek in heels for anyone else it should be a piece of cake. So stop hibernating, call up your summer fun friends, and get drinking!

My name is James Gain and I was searching for a food truck vendor in Chicago that does corporate day rentals and could provide templates for artwork so it can be wrapped! Looking for a few other standards as well – refrigerator and freezer possibly. Would be great to talk if recommending vendors is something you can do. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call 212.563.7656 x227. Best Regards,James Gain

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:21:57 -0500

I don’t have too much food truck information for you outside of what you should eat, so I would suggest asking one of the local truck trackers or the owners of the trucks themselves. I have a blog from last summer that lists a lot of the trucks and trackers so you can use that as a reference. Good luck!

Chi Girl’s Guide to Looking like a Wine Expert

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:12:01 -0500

Wine intimidates me. Out of all the boozy beverages out there wine is probably the only one that really challenges me and makes me second-guess myself. I love beer because even if you’re at the most confusing of pubs that has a beer list bigger than the menu itself you can either A: get a beer flight of some sort B: sample anything on draft C: ask someone that works there for a recommendation because typically they LOVE getting you to try something new and telling you more information than you ever wanted to know about it D: just order something basic like a Miller Lite and play it completely safe. Cocktails are similarly low maintenance for me and I’m usually satisfied if a bar has A: rum and coke and maybe a lime wedge B: crazy fruity cocktails C: garnishes like glow sticks or fresh flowers or anything over the top like that which will distract me from the insanely inflated price tag. Wine is somehow different than these though. When I think wine I think a classier occasion, maybe a nice dinner or gathering with friends I haven’t seen in a while. For me it’s something that requires more thought than “well I’ll just try everything” or “I want that mini saber with 5 maraschino cherries on it!” So of course—since I have to put forth a bit of effort and can’t wing it like I usually do—wine kind of freaks me out.

I think, more than anything, the most plaguing part of wine is the terminology associated with it. I hate when articles or sommeliers ramble on about the bouquet and acidity and depth and residual sugars and tannins and oxidation and all that other stuff that means little to nothing to me. As many articles as I’ve attempted to read about selecting wine or pairing it with food or interesting vineyards I still feel lost in the wine world. Lately I’ve realized that I have a lot of friends and family fooled into thinking that I do know something about wine though, which got me thinking about what makes me, as ignorant as anyone else, seem knowledgeable.

Pay attention to pop culture. I’m willing to bet that the majority of people have seen at least one of the following movies: The Godfather, The Outsiders, The Rainmaker, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. What do these movies have in common? They were all directed by Francis Ford Coppola. What else is Coppola known for? Wine. I was pretty skeptical about his products at first, as I am with most celebrity endorsed or created things, but then I read about his vineyard in Food and Wine Magazine. I mentioned the article to a friend who is obsessed with The Godfather movies and of course he had tried the wine and raved about it. I didn’t try it until I needed a last minute present for a family friend who is a complete wine snob and I found myself wandering around my local grocers in desperation. The wine turned out to be a complete success and after that it got me thinking about other celebs. One of the most notoriously boozy shows on air currently, Cougar Town, features wine in every episode and has put relatively unknown wines, such as Napa Valley’s The Prisoner, on that map. Several years ago the show Frasier created a great deal of interest in not just wine but its offshoots like sherry and amontillado. One of my favorite old movies, Gigi, features a lesson in how to drink wine properly and inhaling while sipping so as to get the full effect. So once again, start paying attention to your TV because you never know when bits of boozy knowledge will be revealed.

Travel locally. You don’t need to go to places like Napa Valley or France for a good wine experience. When driving a cousin to college in Michigan I noticed a surprising amount of billboards advertising vineyards. Like most Chicagoans I just assume that outside the boundaries of the city lies the vast abyss of the Midwest where nothing good awaits except for maybe the occasional outlet mall (yay for no Cook County taxes!). I assumed wrong. Apparently Michigan, particularly around Traverse City, is a well known wine region, especially for Rieslings. Much like the Coppola incident I mentioned this finding to a friend of mine who casually suggested he preferred Wisconsin wine, particularly Staller Estate Winery (in Delavan, not too far from Milwaukee). Illinois also features two wineries perfect for Chicagoans who need a day escape: August Hill in Peru is about a two hour drive and Arbor Hill in Galena is about a three hour drive. So find a designated driver, plan a day trip, and go get the complete wine experience.

Throw a party. One of my good friends was unsure of what she wanted to do for her birthday so she invited a bunch of people and told them to bring a snack and a bottle of wine. Her party ended up being a complete success, with people bringing a variety of foods and a bunch of different wines to go with them. No one worried about if the cabernet they brought would pair well with the stuffed tomatoes or mini quiches that someone else brought and people ended up just drinking and eating and experimenting and just having a drunken gluttonous good time. To parties like this I’ve also started making different sangrias which is perfect when buying unfamiliar bottles because even if they aren’t that great they are easily doctored up with liquor and lots and lots of fruit. And if I have dinner duty instead of drink duty I like to bust out the Crockpot and let something slow cook for hours in a bit of wine (amongst other things) which is another excuse to try a glass of whatever random bottle was purchased for marinade. So what are you waiting for, send out some invites!

Skip the glass—order a wine flight. A friend of mine was gifted with a membership to Coopers Hawk Winery. Up until that time I had never really focused on going to wine bars and usually just purchased a glass with dinner and was done. Again wine intimidates me so I’m not usually comfortable going into a wine-focused spot and having to speak somewhat intelligently about what I’m imbibing. CH took wine off the pedestal I had put it up on and made it more accessible by offering only three wine flight options: Standard, Sweet, or Lux. Standard breaks your flight down to samples of red, white, and dessert so you get the full experience. The Sweet features sparkling, dessert, and fruit wines (their peach is disgustingly addictive). The Lux flight features a variety of premium bottles that range from $20-$40. The best part is that CH allows substitutions which are atypical at a wine bar and perfect for people like me (I hate chardonnay so instead of guzzling down the glass I swap it out for something I actually want to try). Inspired by the accessibility of CH I ended up having a birthday outing to Bin 36 which offers wine flights to match every preference imaginable, from those who prefer dessert wines to Spanish focused flights to unique groupings of harder to find bottles. Sadly the Greek wine flight I enjoyed is gone from the menu but after trying that I’ve definitely expanded away from my comfort zone of Italian/Spanish wines and purchased more Mediterranean bottles. Another great wine bar is D.O.C. which does Sunday Special wine flights for $10 and offers butcher plates of assorted meats and cheeses and bruschetta (go for the brie and apples!) which are the perfect snack for indecisive groups.

Ask for help. I could easily spend about 5 hours wandering around Binny’s reading every single description in the store. Unfortunately, my typical Binny’s trip involves me running around with about 5 minutes to spare before I have to be at a party or have company coming over or something along those lines. Thankfully Binny’s, like so many other specialty stores, has an incredibly knowledgeable staff that will gladly impart little nuggets of wisdom on you while making the perfect recommendation. The last time I was last minute shopping for a birthday gift one of the ladies there was kind enough to direct me towards a fantastic bottle of Pinot Gris by J Vineyards. The taste was super subtle and light and clean and not the typical Juicy Juice style wine I tend to bring to parties (always a crowd pleaser). My new Binny’s friend also gave me more background than I ever wanted to know about the wine, telling me why it was unique, about the owner of J Vineyards (Judy Jordan, who is apparently from some famous wine making family), about the region of California, and then a ton of other facts that I promptly forgot (too much information given to me while running on no coffee results in my brain just completely shutting down). If you really want to impress people though I suggest you at least remember a few facts so that, unlike me, you at least have a basic understanding of what you are drinking that doesn’t max out at if the bottle top is a cork or screw cap.

Know your audience. Once you’ve figured out what kinds of wine you like and are feeling more comfortable in the wine world, start to pay attention to which ones your friends like too. For instance, I’ve noticed more of my guy friends tend to like reds with deep flavors, particularly Chiantis, while the ladies like sweet and fruity ones like Moscato. For mixed groups I would recommend something more subtle though, like a Pinot Gris or Chardonnay (I dislike Chardonnay but it definitely has mass appeal). From the last wine party I went to here is a list of bottles that are super easy to find and very economical that everyone seemed to gravitate to:

Babich Sauvignon Blanc: good dinner wine with a bit of an acidic finish.

Menage a Trois Moscato: sweet with hints apple and pear.

Juliet Moscato: bright and sweet

Ruffino Chardonnay: buttery, creamy flavor

I hope this post helps everyone out! I’m always on the lookout for more wine recommendations because, as everyone knows, I’m still learning myself, so let me know if there are some good bottles out there that I need to try!

Howells & Hood by the Numbers

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:03:42 -0500

Within 5 days of Howells and Hood opening, I had eaten here 3 times. That may seem a little extreme, but I have my reasons…

1 Chef Scott Walton from Markethouse who specializes in farm to table ingredients and in house made charcuterie

2 architects (John Howells and Raymond Hood) who designed the Tribune Tower and became the namesake of the restaurant

2 DJ booths which are set up to fulfill all your 2am music needs (open until 3am on Saturday)

3 cheeses (Swiss, Gruyere and Butterkase) on the French onion soup, which features a broth made from Left Hand Milk Stout.

4 seasonal beer flights on special, which range from $16-$17 per tasting of 4 beers.

5 menu items that contain beer in the recipes: Potted Smoked Pork with ale mustard, Black Mussels made with Bell’s Two Hearted Pale Ale, French Onion soup with left Hand Milk Stout, 1871 Chili with New Holland Dragon’s Milk Stout, Fish and Chips with Bell’s Two Hearted Pale Ale. 6 if you count the beer, bacon, and pecan tart for dessert.

6^th Bottleneck Management property (The Boundary, Old Town Pour House, South Branch, Sweetwater, Trace, and Howells & Hood)

8oz aged beef patty hamburger stopped by white cheddar, beer battered onion rings, dill pickle, lettuce, and tomatoes, all held together by a kabob skewer. Yes, the burgers are large enough to necessitate a skewer.

13 gluten free menu options, ranging from jumbo sea scallops with foie gras and blackberry balsamic jam to pan seared venison in red wine sauce.

20 beers on tap from Illinois breweries, ranging from Revolution in Chicago to Two Brothers in Warrenville

25^th floor skydeck for private parties of up to 100 guests

29 flat screen TVs (50-60 inch) for all your after work sports watching needs.

44 dollars is the price for the most expensive menu item, the NY strip steak, which is accompanied by black truffle potato puree, asparagus, roasted onions, and red wine sauce.

114 beers on tap, which are categorized by Seasonal, Wheat, Lager, Ale, Sweet, Belgian, Stout, and IPA

300 seat patio (5,700 square feet) with 2 communal tables with fire features and a 25 seat outdoor bar

360 beer taps total (3 bars, 120 taps per bar)

435 N Michigan Ave, the street address of the Tribune Tower and the restaurant which is housed in the base of this Chicago Landmark building.

1871 is a chili featuring smoked brisket, NY strip steak, pork, and chipotle peppers; it’s also the year of the Chicago Fire.

1922 is the year the architects Howells and Hood won the design contest for the Tribune Tower, with a neo-gothic design based on the Rouen Cathedral in France. The restaurant incorporates this motif but also offers homage to the printing press once housed inside the space by using exposed rivets, dark wood, and extensive metal work.

17,300 square feet interior space (plus the aforementioned 5,700 sq ft patio).

If you’re still not convinced, check out the beer menu… www.howellsandhood.com

Unknowingly Eating Like a Foodie

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:44:45 -0600

Little Goat, Chef Stephanie Izard’s latest contribution to Randolph Street, is a diner. This diner, with breakfast served all day and an open kitchen with line cooks running between the griddle and the patrons seated at the counter, shares the same street as classic foodie havens such as Blackbird or G.E.B. Located across the street from its older sibling Girl & the Goat and the crowds that flood it nightly (it can be up to a three month wait for reservations) this diner sits quietly, unassuming and unpretentious.

Following in the great tradition of diners everywhere Little Goat offers pancakes—scallion pancakes to be exact. These strange hybrid crepe-meets-flatbread creations are topped with pork belly, bok choy salad, hoisin, and ginger maple dressing. They are the perfect mix of sweet and savory and light and crunchy and make whoever tries them completely forget about every single mediocre buttermilk pancake that’s ever been served. Similarly, pancakes are served alongside eggs and bacon in the “Asian Style Breakfast Tasty Thing.” The twist that separates this from the typical greasy spoon (or IHOP) is that kimchi is added to the mix as well as some other assorted Asian vegetables, making this a hearty meal that is filling but still has a sense of delicacy. Kimchi lends a hand to the “Brandade and ‘Belly’ Benedict” too, adding some additional flavor so the dish doesn’t get completely lost in the salt from the cod and pork belly. While the brandade seems like an odd choice to pair with this egg dish, it works surprisingly well in a very unconventional way.

Just as pancakes and eggs are diner staples, sloppy Joes are mandatory for any menu; Izard tweaks this classic by adding her restaurant’s namesake to the mix. Seasoned goat meat and rosemary slaw are loaded on top of a “squish squash roll” created at the in-house bakery, Little Goat Bread, run by head baker Greg Wade. After the success of the bread program at Girl & the Goat, Izard rewarded Wade with a bigger space which allows for more creativity and production. The most unique part of Wade’s new workspace is that it can be viewed through a large window in the bar area, which is something akin to watching a Food Network show from the audience.

Little Goat Bread also creates the hoagie rolls for the French dip sandwiches. Izard once again reinvents a classic by sending these French sandwiches to Mexico by way of avocados, seasoned braised beef, and spicy mayo. The sandwich, Los Drowned, is perfected with the addition of buttercase cheese, pickles, and an au jus that is not just perfect for dipping sandwiches but also for the order of smoked fries that should not be passed by due to an almost bacon-like essence that lingers on each string of potato.

Izard has admitted she modeled this latest venture after the East Coast diners she frequented when growing up in Connecticut. True to East Coast form, crab dip is featured on the Little Goat menu. The hot crab dip is essentially a cheese fondue that is loaded with crab meat and accompanied by Ritz crackers which are perfect vessels for the weight of this dip. With its density and cheesy comfort this makes the perfect dish to combat the frigid Chicago winter.

Since no diner meal is complete without pie, Little Goat’s pastry chef Amanda Rafalski creates a rotating list of minis which are perfect for sharing. The blood orange meringue is exceptional, with a bright and tangy custard filling topped by a mountain of sweet and fluffy meringue. The cookie pie is basically just a thick chocolate chip cookie served in a puff pastry crust but it’s worth ordering since it’s served warm and topped with a dollop of ice cream that slowly melts on top. While Izard is notoriously anti-sweet and her featured desserts tend to run more savory than anything else, the pies seem to be a step in the dessert lover’s direction and are the perfect ending for the meal (and perfect for taking home for later).

Izard strays from the typical diner format by offering a beverage program that rivals Girl & the Goat or any other restaurant in the area. Her neighbor, Haymarket Brewery, created a custom beer, Girl & the Goatee, to join the list of craft beers from acclaimed vendors such as 3 Floyds, Victory, or Anchor Steam. The cocktail list reflects the same attention to deal with drinks like Midtown Madness (Jim Bean Rye, vermouth, maraschino liquor, bitters), Smoke on the Horizon (Mezcal, lemon, lime, pomegranate), or the Fizz (similar to a Pimms Cup). Beyond the alcohol service bar is the espresso bar where specialty coffee drinks are produced in a small scale Starbucks-like setup. Thankfully the quality is better than Starbucks, with the coffee beans being supplied by Portland’s Stumptown Coffee. Izard is known for her working directly with farmers and has actually gone to Columbia on buying excursions with the buyers, ensuring that the quality of her coffee remains on par with the rest of the menu.

Only in its fourth week open, Little Goat is already proving itself to be an asset to Chicago’s restaurant scene. Expect to wait during peak meal times, but this atypical diner is open from 6am until 2am daily so there are plenty of odd hours to stop by to beat the crowds. For those who get there early enough, Little Goat Bread offers loaves and sandwiches to go and there is also a small gift shop selling Goat merchandise as well as items from some of Izard’s local farm vendors. For more information visit http://littlegoatchicago.com or stop by 820 W. Randolph Street for the first hand experience.

*Since writing the initial draft of this (several weeks ago) I have been back and had the Fat Elvis waffles (with peanut-butter butter and bacon maple syrup—you will die of a heart attack but you will die happy), the chocolate chip pancakes (you will never be able to order these anywhere else ever again because they are just that good), and the Spanish omelette (decent but nothing that special—I would recommend skipping this). Also my food truck friend @chifoodtruckz (best truck tracker!) recommends the smoked pork shake which somehow I have yet to try (sadly).

Celebrating the Chinese New Year...with Vietnamese

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:17:04 -0600

One of my favorite foodie friends, Karla (of Arroz Con Karla), suggested lunch in Chinatown before the Blackhawks game (nothing gives me more satisfaction than watching the Hawks beat the defending Stanley Cup champs). Of course I’m always up for eating my way through there (http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/27341901874/exploring-chinatown-with-chicago-food-planet) so I jumped at the idea without really thinking that A: it’s the lunar new year B: Sunday was the day of the parade C: Wentworth would be impassible. No offense to Tony Hu, but neither Karla nor I were in any mood for any of the Lao restaurants that dominate the new part of Chinatown so we ventured down Cermak to see if we could find something more along the lines of Japanese cuisine, with lots of fresh veggies and something that would sit a bit better than a heavy, sauce-laden bowl of meat. Thankfully, what we discovered was Vietnamese.

I had first seen Café Hoang in an episode of Check Please. The first two guest on the show were incredibly amiable and suggested cute little restaurants that looked great; the third guest just decimated the first two’s favorite eateries, complaining about portions and quality of the food and the décor and anything else it is possible to complain about. By the time his option was up I was ready for the first two guests to be out for blood at whatever pompous, overpriced, over hyped place he choose.

His selection was Café Hoang, a tiny little Vietnamese joint squeezed in between a cluster of shops in Chinatown.

I had walked past it at least a hundred times and never even noticed it was there. It’s easily missed and equally as easily forgotten in a neighborhood that boasts some of the best Chinese food in the country. Thankfully, while Karla and I were standing on Cermak trying to decide our course of action I realized we were practically in front of Hoang. The only thing that flashed into my head at that point was one of the Check Please guests saying the Crab Rangoon was the best he had ever had…ever…end of discussion. I needed to have this Crab Rangoon IMMEDIATELY.

Before the feasting began we started out with tea and “plums and ice,” a drink with pickled plums that are crushed, mixed with water and sugar, and then poured over a glass completely full with ice. Oddly enough this beverage reminded me of lemonade, with a super sweet and super tart battle of flavor. It was wonderfully refreshing and left me wanting to make this in the summer for barbeques. I just won’t be able to tell anyone what they are drinking before they try it since most of my friends and relatives seemed a little standoffish when I’ve tried to convince them how great pickled plums are.

The Rangoon came out next and true to the claims made on Check Please these were definitely some of the best I’ve ever had. The wonton was cooked perfectly; it was crunchy but not overly so and where the filling was held was soft but not soggy. You could tell they used clean oil for these because there wasn’t the funky taste that lingers. There was a sweet and sour style sauce on the side which was lighter and more delicate than one you would find in an average Chinese restaurant and it paired perfectly with the savory crab filling. The Vietnamese pancake appetizer up next was rather disappointing and bland after the Rangoon. It was a dry flaky crust filled with bean sprouts, onions, and unseasoned shrimp and pork. On the side they provided lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and chili oil which were much needed to liven up the pancake. When everything was combined it was ok and I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not something I will be ordering again.

After eating the giant appetizer portions we moved on to the giant entrées. Karla had the chicken ginger cooking in clay pot, which was a giant pot filled with chicken, ginger, white and green onions, and jalapeno peppers. This was a perfect sweet and spicy dish and it was filling while not leaving us with the sensation of being in a food coma. My dish, the spicy shrimp tamarind soup, had a similar flavor profile but was much spicier. The soup had celery, green onions, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and okra in it, but beneath all the greens were small shrimps, tomatoes, and pineapple giving a delicate sweetness to this soup. The only downside was that it was loaded with chili flakes so the heat was a little more intense than I usually like but it’s perfect for congestion (this was the first time in weeks I’ve been able to breathe properly) so I think this is going to be my new go-to soup when I’m not feeling well. Be forewarned I had the bowl portion of soup and it was basically an entire pot, so be prepared to take home leftovers.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to try dessert here, but the website lists a fruit tart and tangerine cake that I’m eager to try now. I will definitely be going back to the Chinatown location, but for all my North Side friends who don’t want to make the trek to the South Side, be sure to check out their second restaurant in Uptown. The Check Please guest didn’t lie—this is some of the best Crab Rangoon ever—and you do not want to miss out.

Chinatown: 323 W Cermak Rd

Uptown: 1010 W Argyle St

http://cafehoang.com

Be sure to check out Arroz con Karla at http://arrozconkarla.tumblr.com/ or read her guest piece for Chicago Girl Eats http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/25937465023/ceviche-de-pescado.

Every Week is Restaurant Week

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:29:53 -0600

From February 1-10, a recording breaking 286 restaurants in Chicago participated in the 2013 Restaurant Week. Each restaurant created prix fixe menus to highlight their cuisine, with lunch deals at $22 to dinner menus rang from $33-$44; each restaurant also had to attempt to accommodate the citizens of Chicago (there are an estimated 2,707,120 of us), our suburban neighbors, as well as the usual plague of tourists that descend upon the city in droves taking up valuable reservation slots. While some tourist is now back home telling their friends about the reservation they scored for the most epic meal of their life, you need to be taking advantage of these ongoing deals because, in Chicago, every week is restaurant week.

Avondale

Yusho: Sunday: $20 for noodle dish, dessert, and beverage

Bucktown/Wicker Park

The Bedford: Thursday: ½ off champagne, oysters, and St. Germain cocktails

Nando Milano Trattoria: Tuesday couples get free dessert / Thursday Ladies Night free glass of Prosecco

Gold Coast

McCormick & Schmick’s Gold Coast: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3:30 pm-6pm, Saturday 2pm-6pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm, $2.95 appetizers $3.95 burger, pretzels, sliders, $4.95 calamari, mussels, spinach dip $5.95 entrees, $4 beer, $6 wine $8 cocktail $10 martinis

Lakeview

D.S. Tequila: Monday 5pm-11pm ½ price food / Tuesday $5 burger and drink specials / Thursday $9.99 all you can eat tacos / Friday 4pm-7pm ½ price appetizers

Fiorentino’s Cucina Italiana: Monday ½ price wine / Tuesday ½ price appetizers

Halsted’s Bar & Grill: Monday $5.95 burgers and drink specials 1 Tuesday ½ price vodka drinks / Wednesday $20 brunch for dinner / Thursday: ½ price tot-chos, tacos, and tequila / Friday $5 martinis, quesadilla, choc brownie sundae / Saturday & Sunday $20 champagne brunch and assorted drink specials

Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club: Monday everything on the menu is ½ price / Tuesday ½ price appetizers and martinis, 12.95 chicken and waffles with champagne / Wednesday ½ price cocktails and buy 1 get 1 free entrée / Thursday ½ price martinis, $5 mojitos / Friday $30 prix fixe includes martini / Sunday brunch ½ price martinis

Socca: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday 5pm-7pm $5 Pizzettes / Monday $6 cocktails or no corkage fee / Wednesday $15 wine flight / Sunday $25 prix fix

Yoshi’s Café: Tuesday ½ price martinis / Wednesday ½ price wine / Thursday $24.99 prix fixe dinner

Lincoln Park

Barn & Co.: Tuesdays $10 turkey leg, $6 salad, $4 drafts / Wednesday $4 drafts, ½ price wine bottles, $6 salad / Thursday $14.99 all you can eat ribs / Friday $5 bombs / Saturday: $2 sliders $5 wing baskets $5 chips & guac / Sunday $5 Jameson shots $4 Bud Light and Coors Light, $15 domestic buckets

Loop

Hoyt’s Modern American Tavern: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday 4:30pm-11pm, $2 sliders, $3 312 drafts or Two Brothers Domain Dupage drafts, $5 mac & cheese, fried cheese curds, $5 pretzel with 5 Rabbit beer and brie fondue

IPO: $30 3-course dinner and valet parking with any Broadway in Chicago theater ticket

McCormick & Schmick’s Loop: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3:30 pm-6pm, Saturday 2pm-6pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm , $2.95 appetizers, $3.95 burgers, $4.95-$5.95 entrees, $6 wines, $7 cocktails, $9 martinis

Midtown Kitchen & Bar: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm, ½ price appetizers / Monday $4 burgers / Tuesday $2 tacos, $15 beer bucket / Wednesday ½ price sandwiches after 2pm, $8 specialty drinks / Thursday $5 bombs, $6 Kettle One drinks / Friday $4 Jameson, $5 drafs

Townhouse Restaurant and Wine Bar: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm ½ price appetizers / Monday $8 burger+PBR / Tuesday $8 wine flight / Wednesday $7 sparkling splits and $5 select wines / Thursday $5 martinis / Friday ½ price Chicago brews

Trattoria No. 10: free dessert when you show your theater ticket

Magnificent Mile

Michael Jordan’s Steak House: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday 4pm-6pm $5 signature bites

Near North

Argent: Happy Hour: Daily 4pm-6pm $1 oysters, $1 sliders, $3 Miller Lite / Wednesdays ½ price wine bottles

Bistro Voltaire: $29 pre fix Monday

Devon Seafood: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 4pm-7pm or Sunday 4pm-10pm, $6 appetizers and cocktail specials

Roy’s: Happy Hour: Daily 4pm-6pm $6 appetizers

Old Town

Bistrot Margot: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday 4pm-6pm select prix fixe menu / Monday ½ price wine / Wednesday $26.95 prix fix with all menu items

Old Town Social: Tuesday after 10pm entire menu is ½ price

River North

AI Japanese Restaurant & Lounge: Daily $21.95 all you can eat lounge menu / Monday &Wednesday ½ price wine and sake / Tuesday & Thursday $3 hot sake, $5 wine, $5martinis / Sunday all you can eat for $31.95.

Fleming’s Steakhouse: Monthly specials ranging from $49.95 steak and wine pairings to$29.95 prime rib dinners.

Foundation Room: Tuesdays ½ price small plates in the lounge

Hub 51: Happy Hour: Daily 3pm-6pm and after 11pm ½ price sushi

John Barleycorn: Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm $10.95 all you can eat brunch/ Tuesday $7 mac & cheese all you can eat

Kinzie Chophouse: happy Hour: Monday-Friday 4pm-6pm, $5 appetizers, 40% off $7.95 appetizer menu with every $3.50+ beverage purchase

LM Bistro: Monday no corkage fee / Tuesday $15 all you can eat mussels / Wednesday $15 wines / Thurs $6 cocktails / Sunday $30 3-course dinner

Mercadito: Tuesday 5pm-7pm and after 9pm, 2 tacos for 5.50

Moe’s Cantina: Monday $9.95 lunch all day (includes entrée, beans, rice, chips and salsa) / Tuesday $40 dinner for two (paella, pitcher of sangria, and dessert)

Nacional 27: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm ½ price tapas and ceviche

Paris Club: Happy Hour: Daily 4pm-6pm $0.50 oysters

Rockit Bar & Grill: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm ½ price appetizers / Monday ½ price wine or beer flights / Saturday-Sunday $5 mimosas, mojitos, and bloody Marys

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Daily Specials: $46.95 filet with 8oz Caribbean lobster tail, prix fix ranging from $42.95-52.95 with starter, entrée, side, dessert, and wine

Sunda: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm ½ price appetizers

Tavernita: Happy Hour: Daily 5pm-7pm $1 oysters / Thursday-Saturday $10 paella after 10pm / Monday (alternating) after 8pm $25 all you can eat

Union Sushi & BBQ: Happy Hour: Monday-Saturday 5pm-6:30pm, $1 oysters, $2 beef skewers, $4 shrimp tempura rolls

Vermilion: $24 prix fixe 3 course lunch changes weekly

Wildfire: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 5pm-6:30pm and 9pm-close, ½ price appetizers, $5 cocktails

River West

Kendall College: Monday $38 5-course prix fixe

South Loop

Chicago Curry House: Happy Hour: Daily 11am-3pm $10.95 all you can eat

Zapatista: Monday $5 taco dinners and margaritas / Tuesday $5 mojitos, ½ price wine bottle / Wednesday $5 sangria, 25% off wine by the glass / Thursday $5 limonada / Friday all you can eat fish tacos / Saturday-Sunday $5 Bloody Marys

Streeterville

Deca Restaurant and Bar: Wednesday ½ price wine bottles / Daily $35 pre-performance theater prix fixe menu which includes parking

Indian Garden: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday 11:30am-3pm $13.95 buffet / Friday-Sunday 12pm-3pm $15.95 Brunch

Saloon Steakhouse: Monday ½ price sandwiches, $2.50 Bud or Miller / Tuesday ½ price appetizers, $5 cabernet or chardonnay / Wednesday $5 cabernet or chardonnay, ½ price quesadillas / Thursday ½ price wagyu nachos, $5 martinis / Saturday $5 bloody marys, $5 mimosas, ½ price prime burger lunch / Sunday $25 prime rib dinner, ½ price wine bottles

Viand American Bistrot: Friday $5 lunch salad / Tuesday $6 tacos

WAVE: Daily seasonal prix fixe menu $35 for 3 courses or $45 with wine pairing

West Loop

City Winery: Tuesdays $2 duck tacos

Nellcote: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm $10 pizza+beer

Park Tavern: Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3pm-7pm ½ price plates / Tuesday $2 tacos / Wednesday ½ price sandwiches

West Town

Branch 27: Tuesday $13 burger, fries, beer

Carson’s BBQ: Happy Hour: Monday-Thursday assorted $5-$8 appetizer and drink specials at the bar

Frontier: Monday $12 chicken and biscuits, $5 craft beer / Tuesday $2 oysters, tacos, half pints, and whiskey / Wednesday $5 bourbon and bacon banger, $3 bourbon, $4 craft can / Thursday $10 for 12 oysters, $6 cocktail, $5 wine / Friday $4 shots / Saturday-Sunday $5 mimosas and bloody marys

Uptown

Ceres Table: Tuesday ½ price wine / Wednesday $40 prix fixe menu

*All restaurants listed here were included based on the 2013 Restaurant Week list from ChooseChicago.com. While a lot of amazing eateries in the city have some great ongoing deals, I am including only the 2013 participants which offer food specials and not just drink specials. Feel free to leave a comment if you know of any other restaurant deals that everyone in Chicago should know about!

The Boarding House vs. My Dating Habits

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:45:51 -0600

Instead of going on a date to The Boarding House I feel like I just went on a date with the restaurant. Now I just need to figure out how to handle this situation. If I make plans to go again right away do I seem desperate? Do I seem too cold if I don’t review it right away or just make a casual Twitter comment? Do I go back to check out the first floor wine bar immediately or was BH more fun as a one night stand? But maybe it deserves a chance to prove it’s the restaurant love of my life.

The Boarding House is like that person you meet through friends who have pretty much given you said soul mate’s life story because clearly you’re perfect for each other. You already know your date’s upbringing: Alpana Singh and Christina Gosselin have never steered you wrong before. You’ve heard your date is good looking, not that appearances are the be all end all but it definitely doesn’t hurt that the architects of BH created other notable spaces, like Hubbard Inn and Stout. Your date is quite popular and everyone has someone good to say; in BH’s case Yelp is blowing up with 4/5 star reviews. By the time you actually meet your date you feel like you’ve known them for years.

BH is definitely that date that shows up and looks way better than you and makes you feel like a total slob. It’s the hottie that’s always at the gym and primping and only shops at boutique stores and has their own tailor. It’s the date that never has bad hair days or never spills anything and just always seems like they have their life together. But somehow—miraculously—they are OK with dating you, in your fleece pull over and jeans, or in your power suit wrinkled from hours pressed against your desk chair, or in your I-didn’t-know-what-to-wear-so-I’m-way-too-overdressed attire. The building, a former boarding house (hence the name), is a multi-level wine aficionado’s paradise. Each room is decorated with wine glasses and bottles and pictures of people drinking and while it walks that fine line between over the top and creative/unique, it definitely achieves the latter. Because of so much glass in the décor everything seems to shimmer in the soft lighting, giving the interior a very ethereal feel. It’s absolutely beautiful, just like you would wish every potential partner would be.

Just like on a date you start to get to know BH slowly. Everything starts out all sunshine, puppies, unicorns, and happiness and things are kept light and fun and simple. A glass of Weingut Stadt Krems Gruner Vetliner is the equivalent to finding out your date has a gorgeous condo overlooking the lake and is almost done paying off the mortgage. A glass of DeFalco Aglianico is the equivalent to finding out the condo houses impressive art and sports memorabilia collections. Your date totally has their act together so now you can relax and enjoy the interaction a bit more. You breathe a sigh of relieve and sip some more.

So now you’re really ready to dive under the surface and start getting to know your date a bit better. Their house bread and butter is more or less small talk, very standard and uninspired: the weather is cold, everyone in the office is spreading the plague, can’t wait until summer, etc. BH’s lobster poutine, on the other hand, is like finding out your date trains seeing eye dogs for blind children—you’re instantly in love. It’s delicate and sensitive and beautiful and you never want that moment to end. But then there’s the pork belly on top of grilled maitake and mushroom puree and it’s magical—so magical in fact that you start expecting something to be wrong. The bottom has to fall out somewhere right? That pork belly was amazing. Could your friends be right, could this be your soul mate? You start thinking about the other dates you’ve had involving pork belly, notably Tavernita and Little Market, and start thinking about how amazing this one is. But the others were magical too, right? And you’re still on the market instead of with them right now, so when does this one go downhill? Then it hits in the form of cauliflower. The crispy cumin cauliflower with a trio of sauces has so much potential but falls flat. Bland and boring, both in taste and texture, it’s like finding out your date collects stamps and can talk about them for hours on end. Awkward.

But maybe hobbies aren’t the most important thing in the world. You don’t have to have everything in common right? Supposedly variety is the spice of life. All that extracurricular stuff doesn’t define them as a person so it’s time to get down to the real issues. Diver scallops over a cauliflower puree are like finding out your date would like to move to another continent at some point in their life. It’s surprising and wonderful and slightly unexpected and you find yourself once again focused on what’s in front of you. Citrus poached salmon is like finding out your date is a hardcore traveler. You’re drawn to the exotic side you’re suddenly seeing and you want more. But, even in spite of this wanderlust, your date is a Chicagoan at heart. They love reading Mike Royko and sitting on their porch in the summer and joking about politics and are hopelessly devoted to a losing sports team. In short, when it comes down to it their values are pretty old school, just like the short rib with sweet potatoes. BH can dress up the short ribs all they want, encrusting them in hazelnut and seasoning the potatoes with a five spice blend, but essentially it’s that meat and potatoes dish that Chicagoans are often associated with. To top everything off BH offers a side dish of cheese curd mashed potatoes which trumps everything else. This would be the point in the evening when you start contemplating if it’s too soon to ask if they want to come back to your place or if they prefer you going to the aforementioned perfect condo by the lake.

But then dessert hits. The oatmeal cookie sandwich is like the stamp collection rearing its ugly head again. Almond financiers with caramel, chocolate, and apple butter are like your date bragging about how much money they made this year. The sugar pie is them giving you a string of incredibly shallow compliments. You’re left wondering if you can get more cheese curd potatoes.

So now the time comes to answer the hard questions. Do you go back again immediately, looking for more cheese curd experiences? Do you keep things really simple and just stick to the wine bar or dedicate yourself once more to the full dining room experience? How much of yourself are you willing to invest in this relationship?

So here’s my dilemma: am I actually interested in Boarding House or do I just want to like it so much that I’m blinded to its faults? My affinity for Alpana Singh makes me want to love BH. The fact that it’s aesthetically perfect (at least in my opinion) makes me want to go back and just revel in the awesomeness of the space. And then of course there is the amazing wine selection, poutine, pork belly, and cheese curd potatoes. On the other side of the spectrum there were some other solid dishes and some other lackluster ones that made me a little apprehensive about coming back to the dining room. I think I’m going to head over to the wine bar one night after work and just take it slow and keep it casual. The Boarding House is going to be around for a long time so there’s no hurry to commit to anything serious right now.

http://boardinghousechicago.com

Yes, I will have my pork topped in bacon, thanks...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:54:00 -0600

I was definitely having one of those days where any and all human interaction left me wishing the Mayans were right about the whole end of the world thing. It started on my train ride to work, where the guy sitting behind me was burping, growling, whistling, and talking to himself all the way from Midway Station to Clark & Lake. And then I found out that my Starbucks crush who makes the perfect coffee quit and was replaced by this tiny little creature who looks terrified of the espresso machines. When I finally got to work I was told that all except two coworkers had taken off or called in sick, just in time for the pre-holiday rush/panic. Immediately after work I was followed from the Roosevelt train stop to Scout Waterhouse by some random creeper who kept asking if I was married (I’m not, in case any chefs or pro hockey players are wondering). Once inside the nearly deserted Scout I waited 15 minutes for a mediocre drink and then got to watch my friend devour a burger of epic proportions while I watched hungrily, absolute in my resolve to fast until I made my pilgrimage to Mercadito Hospitality’s latest restaurant.

Located in the Talbot Hotel, Little Market Brasserie is only soft open until January 18^th so I arrived with minimal expectations; I typically loathe hotel restaurants (http://chigirleats.tumblr.com/post/20327780452/elate-brunch-tourism-and-apathy) and restaurants are usually a mess during their soft opening, trying to work out all the kinks and getting into a rhythm before officially opening their doors. Blinded by my complete addiction to Chef Ryan Poli’s Tavernita however, I decided against my better judgment that I needed to try LMB immediately.

True to form, Mercadito Hospitality created a beautiful space with subway tiles and wood work and soft lighting (the hanging lights are all shaded by antique looking wine decanters). The music was loud, the restaurant was crowded, the staff was rushing around with plates of decadent food, and the bartenders were working non-stop to create the lineup of Tippling cocktails. After a less than perfect day, walking through the door and seeing a bartender with a gleaming silver shaker pouring a gorgeous drink exactly what I needed.

I started out with a Little Market, made with Olmeca Reposado Tequila, pineapple, guajillo syrup, and lime. It was sweet but tart and had a very, very slight hint of spice to it and I think it’s perfect for a diverse amount of drinkers so I would recommend this for literally anyone. Next up was the Champagne Cobbler, made with Gruet Brut, Clement Creole Shrubb, raspberries, and lemon bitters. This is definitely worth ordering but it’s certainly more of a dessert drink so save it for the sweets at the end of your meal. My dinner companions had a glass of chardonnay (regretfully I did write down the brand since I don’t like chardonnay, but this one was actually quite good) and a cup of tea which was also quite tasty.

We started the feasting with several selections off the small plates menu, and due to kitchen mistakes we had some unexpected bonuses. The “mushroom on toast with shallot marmalade” was crisp little slices of bread with sautéed mushroom topping and onion jam on the side. Mushroom and onion is one of my favorite flavor combinations so as soon as I saw this on the menu I knew I needed to try this. Our waiter, Scott, also recommended this as one of his personal favorite dishes and I have to agree with him. Definitely getting this again the next time I go back. Next up were two rounds (an absolutely wonderful kitchen error) of the “crispy pork belly with cheddar cheese and bacon dip.” The light breading added a nice crunch and the pork belly seemingly melted on my tongue, while the slightest bit of cheese added a hint of flavor and the bacon dip garnish elevated this dish from incredible to incredibly addictive. Our table spent quite a bit trying to decide if we liked these or Tavernita’s pork belly sliders better, and we ended up just deciding that Chef Poli is a pork god and we left it at that. Next came the “pull apart bread with honey butter,” which were light and flaky rolls straight from the oven served with a side of sweet butter with herbs in it that was almost as addictive as the pork belly. This spurred another debate, this time over if it rivaled the breads offered at Girl and the Goat, which is a high compliment coming from our table since we are all carb fiends/snobs. Another kitchen error got us an order of poutine which we didn’t order in the first place but I’m glad I got to try. Normally I shy away from foods doused in gravy because it makes things too salty and soggy for my taste but the fries were cut fairly thick so they held up beautifully. The flavor of the short ribs wasn’t masked by the gravy either, but the true standouts were the cheese curds sprinkled over the top. Honestly I could have been happy with a heaping plate of cheese curds doused in gravy, but the fries and ribs just added to the deliciousness.

While the small plates were overwhelmingly the table favorites the dinner plates held their own too. The seared scallops on their own were ok, nothing overwhelming, but when sliced and eaten with small bites of the kale and dollops of salsify (I had to look this up—it’s a root vegetable and it’s delicious) and orange saffron broth the scallops were delicious. The monkfish in bordelaise was solid on its own but, like the scallops, much better when eaten with the bits of lentils, squash, and bacon. The beef short ribs appealed to my inner stereotypical south sider and I loved that they were served with carrots, onions and potato puree; I’m a meat and potatoes girl at heart.

Miraculously after all that we still had room for dessert. While I had ordered the lemon sabayon, thinking the berries in it would match well with the Champagne Cobbler cocktail, the kitchen made another mistake and gave me the hazelnut crisp instead. I’m 100% all right with that because it was delicious. The crispy hazelnut pastry was topped with the same milk chocolate Tavernita uses on their pan con chocolat which I love, so I was extra pleased, but then some pistachio ice cream on the side took the dessert to the next level. Despite the side of vanilla ice cream the straight-from-the-oven apple almond tart tasted like dessert meets breakfast and left me contemplating how to replicate this so I can make it for an upcoming brunch my friends are hosting. Lastly the black bottom sundae proved to be a typical brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and peanuts, but the salted caramel topping left us scraping the bowl (literally scraping, I think we would have licked the bowl if the waiter hadn’t shown up at the table so quickly) and dying for more.

Needless to say, after all of that my day got much, much better. Every single hectic, stressful, crazy second of my day melted away and got lost in a sea of soft light, decadent food, and good company. Once again Mercadito Hospitality, Chef Poli, and the Tippling Brothers have created an amazing space that I can’t wait to go back to. As if I didn’t have enough to look forward to, Mercadito just announced that they are moving into the former Hop Haus space and converting it into a late night dining destination. The only down side is now I have to split my time between the yet to be named place, Little Market, and Tavernita. #FoodieProblems

*On a side note, major props to our waiter, Scott, and the rest of the staff for not going off on the table of complete jackasses seated next to us. The two guys seated there were completely rude to the staff, obnoxiously loud, and incredibly pompous. The staff remained friendly and accommodating the entire time, which I’m sure was no easy feat.

The Bridgeport Restaurant Checklist

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:46:50 -0600

I’m moving to Bridgeport. Since my family is mainly from the West Elsdon area and I’ve lived there most of my life (excepting some lost years in Boston and the Netherlands), I’m definitely going to be lost in my own little pocket of the city with no relatives, no neighboring friends, and no go-to restaurants where people know my name and know better than to ask me if I want tomatoes on my el pastor (anything other than cilantro and onion is completely unacceptable, like putting ketchup on a hot dog). Obviously not having friends and family within a three block radius will be hard, but I think the worst part will be making new friends at all the restaurants. How do I know which pizza place to call at 1am? Where am I going to get my coffee before work? What hotdog stand will be my Saturday drunk food stop? And so, after having a mild panic attack, I have created a Bridgeport eatery checklist. Somewhere in here are my new favorite establishments that will carry me through my upcoming winter lazy moments where I would rather gnaw off my arm than touch my stove to get a decent meal…

35^th Street Red Hots 500 W 35th St

Ace Bakeries 3241 S Halsted

Angela’s Original Italian Beef and Sausage 3001 S Archer Ave

Beluga’s 3156 S Aberdeen

Best Philly Spot 754 W 35th Street

Bridgeport Coffee Company 3101 S Morgan St

Bridgeport Restaurant 3500 S Halsted St

Buffalo Wings and Rings 3434 S Halsted St

Calabruzzi’s Cafe 3302-4 S Halsted St

Carbon on 26^th 300 W 26th St

Carlito’s Way Pizza 2923 S Archer Ave

Chef AJ’s Carry Out 748 W. 35th St

China Kitchen 754 W 35th St

Chinese Kitchen 420 W 31st St

C Meats Deli & Market 1000 W Pershing

Chiu Ning-Chiu 639 W 26th St

Connie’s Pizza 2819 S Stewart Ave

Cork & Kerry at the Park 3258 S Princeton

D Seafood 2723 S Poplar Ave

Ed’s Potsticker House 3139 S Halsted St

Ferro’s 200 W 31^st St

Freddie’s 701 W 31st St

Gemellato Ristorante 260 W 26^th St

George’s Restaurant 3445 S Halsted St

Georges Carry Outs 3409 S Halsted St

Gero Place 500 W 35th St

Gio’s Cafe & Deli 2724 S Lowe Ave

Glass dome hickory pit 2801 S Halsted St

Goodie Tacos 1117 W 31st St

Grand Triple Crown Seafood 3034 S Halsted St

Great Dragon 3059 S Lyman St

Gyros Delight 3417 S Halsted St

Hamburger Heaven Express 3001 S Archer Ave

Han 202 605 W 31st St

Happiness 3313 S Halsted St

Home style Taste 3205 S. Halsted St

Impallaria Bakery and Deli 2952 S Wallace St

It’s Snack Time 452 W Pershing

Jackalope Coffee & Tea 755 W 32nd St

Johnny O’s 946 W 35th St

Karabites Restaurant 3020 S Halsted St

Kathy De’s Deli 3642 S Parnell Ave

Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven 554 W Pershing Rd

La Baguette Bakery 3251 S Halsted St

Lina’s Pizza 3132 S Morgan St

Mangia Fresca 2556 S Archer Ave

Maxwell Street Depot 411 W 31st St

Mexico Steakhouse 2983 S Archer Ave

Morrie O’Malley’s Hot Dogs 3501 S Union Ave

Mimi’s Churros 2520 S Halsted St

Nachos Tacos 3452 S Halsted St

Nana 3267 S Halsted St

Nat’s Patio 3110 S Shields

Northern City 742 W 31st St

Oliver’s Cafe 451 W 31st St

One Two Three 244 E 35^th St

Pancho’s Pistolas 700 W 31st St

Pat’s Italian BBQ 308 W 33rd St

Phil’s Pizza 1102 W 35^th St and 3551 S Halsted St

Pleasant House Bakery 964 W 31st St

Polo Cafe & Catering 3322 S Morgan St

Punky’s Pizza & Pasta 2600 S Wallace St

Ramova Grill 3510 S Halsted St

Red’s Snack Shop 452 W Pershing Rd

Red table, the 1102 W 35^th St

Ricobene’s 252 W 26th St

Rocky’s 234 W 31st St

Royal Pies 964 W 31st Street

Ruby’s Ribs 3551 S Halsted St

Schaller’s Pump 3714 S Halsted St

Scoops Ice Cream 608 W 31st St

South Kawa 3417 S Halsted St

Stages Family Restaurant 657 W 31st St

Sugar Shack 630 W 26th St

Sun lok 816 W 35^th St

Tacos Erendira 3207 S Halsted St

Taqueria La Mexicana Restaurant 815 W 35th St

Taqueria San Jose 3253 S Halsted St

Terry’s Restaurant 3849 S Morgan St

Trattoria 31 605 W 31^st St

Zaytune Mediterranean Grill 3129 S Morgan

Zebra’s Gourmet Hot Dogs 3551 S Halsted St

Zhou B Cafe 1029 W 35th St

Wing Yip Chop Suey Restaurant 537 W 26^th St

A Last Minute Christmas List

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:48:03 -0600

Hey there Santa, can you just skip the presents this year and take me to dinner? I really don’t need another cookie sheet or all the seasons of Big Bang Theory like I originally requested; I would much rather some amazing food from one of these restaurants…

Anyone who follows me on Twitter and Facebook knows that I have been borderline stalking anyone associated with Boarding House. The instant I heard Alpana Singh was opening her own restaurant I knew that I needed to eat there immediately. Who else knows more about food in Chicago than Singh, the host of Check Please? Add her crazy-impressive wine knowledge honed from years of being the Lettuce Entertain You sommelier and Boarding House has got to be the closest thing to heaven on earth. When her menu was first released I stopped working and immediately sent the link to my foodie-in-training cousin, Megan, and then texted my mom everything from the menu that she would NEED to eat. I knew the food would be awesome with Christina Gosselin as the chef, but I never expected to ever want to eat things like chicken liver mousse (cognac aspic, fig jam, and toasted baguettes); I’m not the world’s biggest fan of liver or aspics (they typically freak me out) but for some strange reason I want to try this. On the other hand I also want to some safer options, like the kampachi crudo or cumin cauliflower, both which I’m sure will be amazing albeit less adventurous. The medium plates all look fantastic too, with pork belly and mushroom puree, lobster poutine with cheese curds, etc., but then the entrees completely blow them out of the water with citrus poached salmon, hazelnut crusted short rib, seared diver scallops, chicken three ways, and then the list keeps going on and on and on. And I want it all. Without exception. The saddest part is that I could make a meal out of the sides alone, with things like pork tots (I have no idea what these are but I am one hundred percent ok with pork anything) or cheese curd mashed potatoes (I’m not sure what to expect but this sounds like the marriage of two of the all time greatest foods ever so I’m going to bet it’s amazing). Pair all the foodie awesomeness with wines recommended by Singh and I cannot imagine something else that I could want for Christmas. http://boardinghousechicago.com

Unless of course that something else is served up by Chef Ryan Poli. At this point my friends and relatives cringe whenever I mention Tavernita/Barcito because they know it will be at least a ten minute rant about my complete obsession, and when I told them all Poli was doing the menu for Mercadito Group’s Little Market Brasserie I think they all went home and cried themselves to sleep knowing that, from that point on, all I would be talking about was this new restaurant. While no official menu has been released yet since LMB is still just at the soft opening stage, plenty has been written about what may or may not be on the menu. Grubstreet reported (http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2012/12/ryan_poli_makes_us_lunch_and_t.htmlc) burgers, lobster rolls, pork chops (Eater confirmed these served with cabbage and apple), and even fresh pasta at times. Poli’s Instagram shows apple almond tarts, short ribs (Eater confirmed short rib poutine), mahi mahi, bread with honey butter, etc. Thankfully the Tippling brothers are back again for the drink program too, so that is another huge plus for me. Also, Poli talked about the atmosphere being more relaxed than the other Mercadito restaurants and based on the handful of Yelp reviews already popping up it seems like that’s true. The only thing that has me nervous is that LMB is in the Talbot and with hotel eateries I always anticipate the worst; I’m putting my trust in the Mercadito/Poli/Tippling team though and checking this out asap. www.littlemarketbrasserie.com

There can’t be a restaurant wish list without mentioning Stephanie Izard’s sequel to Girl and the Goat. Little Goat is only partially open, with their bread program driving the food for the time being. Based on the insane amount of bread I consume at Girl and Goat, I’m willing to bet giving genius/mad-bread-scientist Greg Wade free range to go crazy with baking was one of Izard’s best ideas ever. As of right now one of their bread specials is the tortone with garlic and mashed potatoes that sounds like it was created especially for me; the other thing I need to try immediately, based on the amount of people on Yelp who sound ready to propose to Izard after trying this, is the shrimp sandwich. Though on the other hand the other part of me wants to wait for the diner to actually open so I can eat more than just a teaser. After months and months of torture waiting for LG to open, only to have it pushed back repeatedly, I feel like I just want to go and do it right. If I do not have to be lifted out of there with a crane after eating more food than any human should be able to consume I will feel as if I have failed at life. When I first went to Girl and Goat I’m pretty sure that our table horrified our waiter by how much we were able to pack away. My goal is to beat that. It’s good to have goals… http://littlegoatchicago.com

Since Santa probably has me on the naughty list I’m lowering the bar a bit and would also be happy with a trip to Three Dots and a Dash when it opens. While the Melman’s country/western themed restaurant, Bub City, is open and getting decent reviews, the basement tiki bar isn’t scheduled until February now. While tiki bars aren’t something I normally gravitate to, Paul McGee is at the helm of this one so I’m definitely thinking this will be the exception to the typically very mediocre rule. I like that McGee is taking a more traditional route with the drink list, borrowing some Don the Beachcomber classics and creating his own drinks too. But then again I’m good with most rum based drinks so who am I trying to kid, they had me at “tiki.” http://threedotschicago.com

*The picture was taken from Boarding House’s Facebook page. Definitely check out their photos, just not when you are hungry.

Chicago Foodie Gifts

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:34:07 -0600

Each year for Christmas I get quite a bit of sick, sick pleasure from tormenting my out of state friends and family by mailing them boxes of edible presents from Chicago. Sometimes I send the staples of any Chicagoans diet, while at other times I enjoy surprising people with gifts from the smaller local vendors. Either way, I like to leave people wondering either why they moved away or why they didn’t move here like I’ve been telling them to for years. Here are some ideas for gifts from Chicago businesses that can be ordered online so when the snow finally arrives are you’re in hermit mode you won’t even have to leave your home.

Old School Gifts

Garrett’s Popcorn: It’s not the holidays without Garrett’s. It’s also not Chicago popcorn if it’s not Garrett’s. Plus, who wouldn’t want Gingerbread Caramel Crisp or Chicago Mix popcorn in a Blackhawks, Bears, or skyline tin? www.garrettpopcorn.com

Vienna Beef: People who have never experienced the wonder of Vienna beef products make me kind of sad, unknowingly consuming subpar hotdogs with KETCHUP. Sacrilege. I like to do them a favor and send them something from Vienna like their hotdog kit, complete with poppy seed buns, celery salt, bright green relish, and mustard. Friends don’t let friends eat ketchup. www.viennabeef.com/store/

Portillo’s: While living outside of Chicago one of the greatest tragedies I dealt with was the lack of Italian beef in my life. No one should have to live like that. Make sure your loved ones aren’t beefless this holiday season. www.portillos.com/store/

Giordano’s/Lou Malnati’s: When most outsiders think of Chicago they immediately think of pizza, and for good reason. Send your New York family and friends some true pizza and prove once and for all that Chicago reigns supreme. www.giordanos.com/shop or http://www.tastesofchicago.com/category/Lou_Malnatis_Pizza/?utm_campaign=Ship-it!&utm_source=loushome&utm_medium=Homepage

Eli’s: Based on the amount of cheesecake pictures I have on my Twitter and Facebook for Chicago Girl Eats, it’s pretty easy to assume that I’m obsessed with cheesecake. So of course I couldn’t forget to mention Eli’s. All I want for Christmas is their holiday sampler, with pumpkin, hot chocolate, and chocolate caramel pecan cheesecakes. http://shop.elicheesecake.com

Fannie Mae Candies: Mint Meltaways. Pixies. Peppermint Bark. Do I really need to say anything else? www.fanniemay.com

New Gift Ideas

Salted Caramel: It turns out that bacon does make everything better, especially popcorn. Every time I gift someone with a bag of bourbon bacon caramel corn they pretty much flip out and eat the entire bag of sweet and salty goodness in one sitting. But don’t forget, when ordering one for your friends you definitely want to get one for yourself. https://saltedcaramel.net

Rich Chocolates: One of my all-time favorite boxed sets of chocolate is the Chicago collection of truffles all named after neighborhoods. Truffles include Gold Coast (dark chocolate with champagne), Pilsen (chili infused chocolate), and Logan Square (milk and dark chocolate blend with Gaslight Coffee). You’ll want to stock up as their chocolatier is retiring this year and they haven’t found a replacement yet. www.richchocolates.com

Sweet Addiction: I first tried their toffee at the Fine Chocolate Show at Navy Pier and instantly became addicted. If you know people with a serious sweet tooth they are going to become as obsessed with this as I am. www.thesweetaddiction.com

Rare Bird Preserves: My Grandma is the hardest person ever to shop for so I like to get her things that I know she will use. For the past few years these preserves and spreads have been a go-to gift for me. I personally love the chocolate spreads on croissants. http://rarebirdpreserves.bigcartel.com/

Metropolis Coffee: For all the caffeine junkies in your life, don’t forget to order some Metropolis. It also makes a nice surprise to bring for a post-Christmas dinner drink (especially when you add some Bailey’s). www.metropoliscoffee.com/shop/

3 Thanksgivings Later...

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:49:42 -0600

I love Thanksgiving simply for the fact that it is mandatory that you gorge yourself on extremely delicious food until you think you may actually die from over eating, and then dessert is brought out and you eat some more. As if that wasn’t enough, you get things like cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie or if you’re part of my family, three turkeys (go big or go home!). Perhaps my favorite part of this particular holiday is how everyone contributes something and you get to experience new foods or even old foods in new ways.

Thanksgiving #1:

My first Thanksgiving this year was actually a birthday party. Rachel had tenaciously searched for something special to do for her husband Mike’s 30^th birthday and Mike had been zero help when it came to ideas of what he wanted to do. One day while out to dinner you could practically see the light bulb go on above her head—nay, it was more of an industrial light fixture worth of brightness—and she came up with the idea to throw a birthday bash with the theme of Mike’s favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. Mike, like most of my favorite people, is an Eater; he loves food, loves trying new foods, loves it whether it’s Rachel making her grandma’s macaroni and broccoli or him and the boys going to a Brazilian steak house, and in general loves to talk about food. So of course when Mike saw the turkey of epic proportions Rachel had procured he was pretty excited. But then when his family and Rachel’s family and their friends started showing up with different dishes he was basically like a little kid on Christmas morning. My family is really close so I’ve never been away from them for the holidays at all, so it was really fun to get to see what Thanksgiving for Rachel and Mike is like. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they also have German potato salad as a holiday staple, which my family has to have too but I’ve never met anyone else who absolutely has to have this at their holiday parties, let alone even knows what it is. I prefer my family’s recipe to theirs, but I will say Rachel completely blew my family out of the water with her stuffing which was super moist and flavorful and I seriously think I had four helpings of it. I also loved her turkey because she roasted it all day and usually my uncle will grill a turkey (soooo good) and deep fry another (see Thanksgiving #3 for rant about my love for deep fried turkey) so I never get roasted turkey. Rachel’s sister made green bean casserole which was a nice change of pace too since my family typically just sautés green beans (not that I’m complaining because I love green beans like that, when they still have slight crispness to them). After a few other side dishes and some homemade carrot cake I have to say that Thanksgiving #1 was a success and made me that much more excited for #2.

Thanksgiving #2:

My non-blogging life is spent working for the Chicago Tribune and thankfully my team here enjoys food almost as much as I do. As usual, looking for any excuse to eat we decided to have a small Thanksgiving pot luck in our office, which of course escalated into a feast that would have made Henry VIII envious. We had roasted chicken. We had mini pot pies. We had homemade mac & cheese. We had dinner rolls. We had broccoli salad. We had stuffing. We had apple pie and pumpkin pie and kolacky. We had chips and dips and cookies. We actually ran out of room for all the food and were stacking bowls and boxes on top of each other. If divided carefully we could have fed the entire 10^th floor of the Tribune Tower, but thankfully none of us are that nice so we feasted amongst our team only (and then chortled as passersby stared longingly and hungrily at us…just kidding…maybe). Overall Thanksgiving #2 was a success and the perfect warm up for the main event.

Thanksgiving #3:

The best part of having a big family is having giant pot luck holidays, where everyone contributes something and it is always something extremely delicious. The menu for our party included 3 turkeys (2 grilled and 1 deep fried and injected with Cajun seasonings, so TAKE THAT Emeril and your losing Top Chef team), a ham (my mom makes the best ham ever), Polish sausage with sauerkraut, German potato salad, mashed potatoes (my contribution every year, probably because no one wants to even think about how much butter I use to get them so creamy), sweet potatoes, sautéed green beans, tortellini salad, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, 2 types of stuffing (1 meatless and 1 with sausage), a variety of vegetables, Caesar salad, taco salad, assorted chips and dips, chocolate pudding pie, cookies and cream pie, cookies, key lime pie dip, etc. I’m pretty sure I missed a couple things on the list but I can’t think now that I’m half starved and ready for my leftovers. For anyone out there who watches the show Friends, I’m very much like Ross in that my favorite part of any holiday is the leftovers sandwich. I love piling as much stuff as possible on to two slices of white bread and then practically unhinging my jaw to be able to take a bite. And then just for good measure I always eat about a pound of mashed potatoes and German potato salad because there is no such thing as too many carbs in my world. And then, if I’m really lucky and all the pie hasn’t been demolished before I get to it, I get to have some dessert. Do leftovers count as the 4^th Thanksgiving?

On that note, I’m about to head out the door and meet up with my family who is downtown today checking out the decorations and probably doing a bit of shopping. It’s definitely time to walk around and burn off some calories so I can eat more later on!

Happy Holidays!

Chicago Fine Chocolate Show

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 02:19:29 -0600

I just had chocolate and beer for dinner. Needless to say, this was probably one of my top ten best days ever. I knew the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show would be fun, but even I couldn’t fathom how completely awesome it would be. Armed with the adult all access pass, which included 15 chocolate sample tickets, 10 drink sample tickets, and unlimited demos, two coworkers (Lana and Hilary) and I made our way from the office at the Tribune Tower and headed to Navy Pier prepared to eat our way into sugar induced comas.

Upon walking in the first thing that really greeted us was a giant tower of chocolate cake from SweetPea Cakes. I have decided that the only way I am ever getting married is if I have an eight tiered cake covered in delicate chocolate flowers from SweetPea. www.sweetpeacakestudio.com

Gawking over the cake really put me in the mood for some serious chocolate consumption so I started out with a sample from le Chocoholique: lemoncello espresso. I never really thought about pairing lemon with coffee but somehow it worked, and even better it worked really well. This small, family owned chocolate boutique based out of Ohio has some unique and absolutely gorgeous treats. I definitely recommend stopping at their table at the show or checking out their website www.lechocoholique.com.

Second up for sampling was toffee from Sweet Addiction, a Chicago based company that sells toffee exclusively. Their toffee was slightly crunchy but still had a bit of give to it, and most importantly was extremely buttery. As a group of people were leaving the show they had some extra tickets that they passed on to my friends and I, and we immediately hit up Sweet Addictions for another batch of samples to take home with us. Delicious and dangerously addiction. www.thesweetaddiction.com

Distracted from the samples by some completely over the top cakes that brought out the inner child in each of us, we gravitated to the Icing Smiles table. My favorite cake on display was of Cinderella’s carriage and while talking to the lady at the table and eating their chocolate cupcakes I discovered one of the coolest organizations ever. Icing Smiles provides these completely badass cakes for ill children and tries to create once in a lifetime experiences. I know that even a small piece of cake always brightens my day so I can’t even imagine how a little kid going through some pretty rough times would feel getting a 3D Spongebob Squarepants made entirely of cake.

I was surprised to see Oak Mill Bakery at a chocolate show. I pass their shop on Harlem Ave all the time on my way from my grandparents house on Archer to El Gallo on 63^rd St, but I’ve never actually gone in. They were selling some of the typical European pastries they are known for, like kolacky, but also had tons of gorgeous little chocolates for sampling. I was even more surprised to see a white chocolate and passion fruit chocolate, which of course I needed to try immediately. The chocolate was extremely good quality but the filling was absolutely fantastic, with just that perfect amount of tart brightness to combat the sweetness of the white chocolate. After trying that I definitely need to stop at their Harlem shop or one of their other Chicagoland locations to sample some more! http://www.oakmillbakery.com/

While walking around to check out all our options we stumbled upon an art gallery of chocolate sculptures created by the French Pastry School. At the end, pastry chefs were creating a very artistic interpretation of a rooster, with swooping clean lines and an exterior that actually looked like varnished wood. One of my other favorites was a block of chocolate that looked like the trunk of a tree with a giant yellow chocolate flower blooming from a nook. I have to give the bakers some serious props for having the skill—and the patience—to create something so detailed and beautiful.

With the drink tickets practically burning holes in our pockets, we decided to finally head over to the drink samples. Our first stop was the Quady Winery table. I was relieved to hear that Quady’s products are available at Binny’s since Illinois is notoriously hard to distribute in for non-Midwest based smaller companies. Hilary and Lana absolutely loved the Elysium, a very floral black muscat that the winery recommends drinking with dark chocolate, desserts with berries, or even just having over ice cream. I quickly became obsessed with the Electra, a dessert wine with a very small alcohol content that basically tastes like fruit Juicy Juice for adults. One of the more unique wines Quady had to offer was their Starboard Batch 88 “port” wine. They describe it as having a “voluptuous flavor” and I definitely agree; there was something bold and silky and daring and rich about this wine and while it’s definitely not something I would drink all the time, I wouldn’t mind opening a bottle and sipping it down slowly after a long day. http://quadywinery.com

While I’m not a big fan of chocolate wines I did like Chocolate Shop Wine’s chocolate strawberry wine, which had more of a strawberry presence with just hints of chocolate. Their crème de cocoa wine almost reminded me of chocolate milk, just with a thinner consistency. The last one we tried was their chocolate red wine which was ok, but again I’m not crazy about chocolate wine. http://chocolateshopwine.com/

After boozing for a bit we headed back to the samples and over to Sugar Hills Bakery. I immediately gravitated to the cheesecake brownie: dense brownie topped with a layer of cheesecake and then a thin layer of caramel spread on top. Hilary thankfully got the other pastry I was eyeballing, rum cake, so I got to steal a bite from hers. Both were awesome, so for people in the northern suburbs you need to visit Sugar Hills www.sugarhillsbakery.com

One of the prettiest and most delicious chocolate selections was from Truffles in Paradise, based out of Colorado. I had a sample of a coffee based chocolate which was great, but I was sad that I forgot to purchase the Aurora Borealis chocolate, made with lingonberry, anise, and aquavit, on my way out. Other flavors that I’m sad I missed out on are Hawaiian Sunset, with French vodka, mango, passionfruit, and blood orange, or the Italian balsamic fig. But then again everything they offer looks amazing. www.trufflesinparadise.com

I have never had the desire to eat a Buddha until now, thanks to Chocolate for the Spirit. While a lot of their chocolates looked really good, the milk chocolate Buddha with Himalayan sea salted caramel ganache was one of my favorite items at the show. It was lightly dusted with gold and was packed in a tiny Chinese take out style container, which took it to the over the top adorable level and it was almost too pretty to eat—almost. http://chocolateforthespirit.com

Stella Leona was another aesthetically perfect vendor, with all sorts of adorable little chocolate pieces that looked too good to eat. They actually had a Christmas tree decorated with little transparent ornaments that each contained chocolates, which Lana wanted to steal from them, which I wanted to steal from Lana. Best Christmas decoration ever. While the white chocolate and cranberry truffle I sampled was delicious, I could not stop drooling over their Heritage Collection of chocolate truffles based off of pies. Because who wouldn’t want a blueberry pie truffle? http://stellaleona.com

One of the more unique vendors was Gabriella Chocolates & Confections, which offered up a variety of cake truffles. I had an apricot citrus cake truffle which was good in flavor but I couldn’t get past the texture of the soggy, almost raw, cake in the middle of the chocolate. Lana was with me on the texture thing but it didn’t bother Hilary, so our group was torn about how we felt towards these truffles.

Perhaps the most surprising chocolate shop was Quail Point Chocolates. Their milk chocolate melted in my mouth as soon as it hit my tongue and was creamy and delicious and perfect in every way, and some of their other usual flavor suspects were equally as good, but the real stand out flavor was their Marrakesh chocolate. Made with a variety of spices, it tasted like all of Morocco was suddenly crammed into one small bite and coated with chocolate. It was savory and spicy and sweet and absolutely one of the most fun and delicious things I’ve ever eaten. www.facebook.com/pages/Quail-Point-Chocolate/183217848359188

Some other notable chocolates were St. Croix Chocolate Company’s hot chocolate or salted caramel chocolates www.stcroixchocolateco.com. Some high school students were running the Noir D’ebene chocolate table, offering pure, regional chocolate bars. We were able to sample chocolate from Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, each of which were excellent. T’s Toffee (http://ts-toffee.com) and Fannie Mae (www.fanniemay.com) were some of the last tables we visited before crashing a beer and chocolate pairing seminar/tasting, which turned out to be my favorite part of the night.

Run by Clay Gordon of The Chocolate Life (www.thechocolatelife.com), the pairing session was really, really enlightening. Clay began by talking about how most people tell you to think outside the box, but he demanded we completely forget about the box altogether. He demolished “the box” slowly, easily coaxing us into the world of beer and chocolate by starting with Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout, paired with both 70% and 80% chocolate pieces. The 70% Cacao Barry Fleur de Cao was my favorite paired with the stout, with the stout seeming to enhance the flavor of the chocolate piece but the chocolate smoothing out the flavor of the beer in return. The next beer up was Ayinger Celebrator which is one of the best beers I’ve tried in a while and I could have been completely happy with just the beer, but when pairing it with Calebaut milk chocolate there was a very distinct caramel flavor brought out that was sooo good. My favorite beer paired with the 80% Calebaut though was easily the Lindemans Frambois though, for it tasted just like raspberries served over chocolate cake. I think the three of us went through two bottles of the raspberry beer and easily several scoops of the little chocolate bits that we paired it with. Now that we were a completely unsuspecting, unquestioning, and captive audience Gordon threw us a curve ball with Lindemans Faro, a very sour beer that had almost a vinegar linger to the taste. While I did not care for the beer by itself, with the 70% it brought out a caramelized sugar taste with almost apple undertones and I couldn’t help thinking of the apple cider vinegar I love to cook with. The last beer was the most unusual: Westmalle Tripel. Gordon described it as almost “medicinal” in flavor and I think he hit the nail on the head with that. He paired it with Green & Black’s ginger chocolate which is the only think I could imagine working with the beer. I didn’t particularly care of this pairing because it was reminiscent of tea and for the most part, when I drink beer I like it to have that nice hops flavor and really do not look for herbal or floral notes to it. But, to make a long story short, my mind was still pretty much blown. I am now in love with beer and chocolate together.

Hilary said it best when summing up how we felt about the evening when she mentioned wanting to nap and run all at the same time. The alcohol had melted away the stress from the day and relaxed us to the point where the three of us realized how exhausted we were, but we were still riding the high from all the sugar we had consumed. We parted, exhausted but giddy, vowing to do something like this again soon. I don’t think it will be that easy to top this though, so check out the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show before it ends on Sunday, November 18^th. www.chicagochocolatefestival.com

Boston: Adventures in Eating

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:11:18 -0600

The second I was off the plane my friends were prepared to feed me. They know that after a two hour flight from Chicago to Boston which inevitably features snoring businessmen and screaming babies my normally pleasant demeanor melts away to revel a Medusa-like creature who can only be banished with coffee and something really tasty.

Thankfully, my good friend Ricky picked me up from Logan Airport and rushed me out to Chelmsford to eat as Jessie’s Place, a cute little restaurant that is basic and straightforward and just awesome, much like the proprietor. Jessie is this friendly, chatty, welcoming lady that is kind of like the quirky aunt that you don’t see that much but when you do you always, without exception, have a blast. Ricky and I arrived ready to load up on all sorts of goodness and, through some divine occurrence, they had Pilgrim sandwiches on special. First off, I love thanksgiving because it’s the only holiday where over eating is actually mandatory. If I’m not in a turkey-induced coma immediately after eating I feel like I have shamed my family—clearly I needed that 8^th portion of German potato salad and shouldn’t have passed on eating a baker’s dozen of dinner rolls. Jessie had all the mandatory Thanksgiving staples piled so high on two pieces of toast—one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen—that I practically had to unhinge my jaw to bite it. And then after that I was pretty much ready for a nap thanks to eating my body weight in turkey. Not that I’m complaining.

After spending some time with Ricky’s family and meeting his new girlfriend (who is a coffee addict too so of course she has the Jenna Stamp of Approval), he drove me out to Jamaica Plain where I was staying with Laurie and Jeff, two of my college roommates. I had arrived just in time for their weekly vegan dinner party, but this one had me a bit apprehensive. Laurie had gone with a foraging theme, focusing on seeds, nuts, and berries (which all sound like garnish to me so I was pretty terrified/pretty happy I loaded up on turkey before I got there). But the culinary gods were merciful and Laurie made cranberry filled deep fried wontons, which I proceeded to eat right out of the frying oil, thus in turn burning off any fingerprints I may have not destroyed already (I’m more than willing to change over to a life of crime for the right price, just in case anyone is interested). For dessert she had vegan shortcakes with strawberry topping, while Jeff made pretty little fruit and yogurt dishes. Other guests contributed spinach with cashew sauce, smoothies, vegan cookies, and lastly meatloaf made from sunflower seeds, walnuts, and mushrooms (it sounds odd but somehow it worked, despite tasting absolutely nothing like meatloaf). Because I need to obsessively/obnoxiously promote how awesome Chicago is at all times (though there are plenty of things I think could be improved upon—ahemDaley IIIRahm, get working!) I brought with me vegan treats from Vosges Chocolates: Black Pearl (wasabi ginger with black sesame seeds), Oaxaca (guajillo and pasilla chilies), and Red Fire (with ancho and chipotle chilies and cinnamon). After plaguing people’s existences with Chicago-love Laurie, Jeff, and I moved on to a new bar by the Forest Hills T stop, Eugene O’Neill’s, for some late night drinks and catching up. My favorite drink there was the Beyond the Horizon, comprised of Smirnoff passon fruit, raspberry Schnapps, orange juice, and lemon. For some post commute boozing I definitely recommend this as a low key dive bar to get a drink and just unwind.

We didn’t drink too much because Laurie and I had to be up early the next day for a lunch date with another friend of mine, Melissa, who works at Harvard. Melissa, being a fellow foodie, had already prepared a list of the acceptable restaurants and Laurie and I decided on Russell House Tavern. Cambridge, like any area heavily populated by college students, can be a bit of a culinary black hole. Thankfully Russell House was a great place to have lunch and had an overwhelming amount of options that looked absolutely awesome for reasonable prices. Laurie and I decided to split some appetizers because thankfully, she is as indecisive as I am. Their roasted local squash plate with arugula, buttermilk, and fennel was delicious and I was super sad when we had eaten it all because I LOVE squash and this one was exceptionally tasty. Crispy fried oysters were also delicious and even though I’m not a fan of salty things the citrus salt they had on the side was addictive. My favorite dish ended up being the deviled farm eggs that were garnished with white anchovies, olives, and chili oil which have ruined deviled eggs for me forever and the next time I end up making them I will probably just weep tears of disappointment and dissatisfaction while booking a flight to Boston. Melissa had an epic grilled cheese sandwich but sadly she had to dine and dash back to the office.

Laurie and I walked her back and then, like the complete geniuses we are, decided it’s a good idea to walk through the farmers market. Of all the quaint tree lined brick paved postcard perfect streets in Cambridge we had to walk through the farmers market. So of course we stumbled upon Violette’s and their salted caramel brownie cupcakes. Sorry Harvard, I don’t care how beautiful you are, until you are made of pastry and have caramel filling you will take the backseat to deliciousness. While I stuffed my face with brownie goodness Laurie decided on a chocolate cupcake with basil buttercream, which sounds odd but was actually really delicious. Before we walked away I luckily spotted macaroons—apricot and cheesecake ones, to be exact—and realized I could not live without eating one. And it was amazing and I hate myself for not getting an entire box. And maybe a second box to take home. Oh well, next trip.

Sufficiently stuffed, we walked around for a bit and had a pretty girlie afternoon with lots of shopping (Cardullo’s is my new favorite grocery store, featuring impossible to find imports and specialty items and just all sorts of stuff that I wanted sooo bad because who wouldn’t want a bar of preserved hibiscus or an entire set of different vanilla extracts) and chatting and just in general catching up since we see each other only about once a year. After a while I needed caffeine, in a barrel, with an IV, so Laurie took me to her favorite coffee shop, The Atomic Bean. I definitely recommend going there for some down time; everyone inside, staff and customers alike, were very chill and mellow and just doing their own thing. Oh, and the coffee was awesome. But the muffins were WICKED awesome (I had to throw “wicked” in there for all my Boston friends). I bought an apple muffin which not only managed to survive walking all over Cambridge, Boston, and Jamaica Plain, but when reheated for breakfast the next day was still incredible. Laurie ended up going with her favorite muffin, a pistachio one that was bright green and appropriately named “The Green Monstah” after the renowned green wall at Fenway. Once sufficiently caffeinated we headed out again into downtown Boston.

Charles Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood is one of my favorite streets in Boston. While infested with tourists most of the time, I spent a great deal of my college years browsing the shops, eating at the restaurants, and in general walking down the street with a coffee and admiring the gorgeous old architecture. My first year in college I was obsessed with the pie at Bella Vita. At Upper Crust Pizza I realized that nothing else even comes close to Chicago pizza. At Panificio I had one of my first outings with one of my current best friends, Dave. I was so happy to get a chance to walk Charles Street again, especially in the cool fall air with the yellow and red leaves blowing down the street, but this happiness was eclipsed by Laurie’s dinner suggestion.

Limoncello’s may actually be my favorite Italian restaurant ever. One of Dave’s former roommates recommended it to us and since then my group of friends has celebrated birthdays, holidays, parental visits, visits from friends, bad days, good days, and anything and everything else there. The first time I had lobster and actually enjoyed it was there (lobster ravioli in clam sauce, which is what Laurie ended up getting this outing). I had magical risotto there that had so many different flavors emerge that I was actually confused by my dinner (in a good way). I have seen the pickiest eaters on the planet hem and haw over the limited menu, finally order something they think will be somewhat ok, and then inhale their food and scrape their plates clean, mopping up the last bits of sauce with bread. It also has ruined all chicken marsala for me because thanks to Limoncello, I cannot order it anywhere else. I also can’t bring myself to get anything else off the menu because now I only have my chicken marsala once a year when I visit Boston. I just ate at Spiaggia, one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicago, and was telling the server how much I love Limoncello’s chicken marsala. Yes, I need therapy and probably some new hobbies.

It seems to be a tradition that, after gorging ourselves at Limoncello’s, we always get cannoli at Bova’s. I love Boston’s North End (little Italy) neighborhood for many reasons, but mainly because 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can get cannoli somewhere. Bova’s is typically my bakery of choice but Laurie said Caffé Paradiso had chocolate covered shells so we decided to do battle of the cannoli. We each got one from each bakery and snuck them into the movie theater to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which was excellent, by the way). Personally I like Bova’s shells better but I loved Paradiso’s filling so it looks like next time we get cannoli we will have to get both again. Clearly I’m distraught about that.

Once the movie and the cannoli were done we walked into Back Bay and strolled down Newbury Street, Boston’s smaller scale version of Michigan Avenue. Another favorite college haunt of mine, Trident Books, sits at one end and is the most eclectic book shop/gift shop/café I have ever been in. I love getting lost in there and spending hours upon hours finding books and drinking coffee and listening to authors read from their latest releases and then finding crazy magazines and just in general being in a state of bliss the entire time I’m inside. If there is a heaven I’m 100% confident it is Trident Books.

It was a good thing that I loaded up on new reading material since I had a long train ride out to Fitchburg the next day to see Melissa’s new house and FINALLY meet her fiancé, John. I didn’t quite realize how long of a ride it would be so I skipped the coffee in favor of a passion fruit smoothie from Emack and Bolio’s (my judgment was impaired by waking up early and then the colorful display of ice cream cones dipped in sprinkles and candies and cereals; as delicious as the smoothie was I should have gotten coffee because coffee always leads to functioning and not being a hot mess). Because Melissa is a saint she was waiting for me with Dunkin Donuts coffee and munchkins. Melissa is the East Coast Version of me; our differences are she has brown hair and I’m a blonde, she likes the Red Sox and I like the White Sox, and she has a Boston accent while I have a Chicago accent. It’s actually creepy/terrifying/awesome to have a doppelganger. Poor John was a great sport after dealing with the two of us for hours, listening to us discuss Halloween candy distribution (the best costumes always get extra of the good candy like snickers and reeses; if little to no thought it put into a costume there is a special reserve of old lady cinnamon or butterscotch candies with your name on it, lazy punks), new restaurants opening in Chicago, new ones in Boston, our complete obsession with bacon (I brought her Vosges bacon chocolates!), my blog, her blog, etc. He even managed to deal with our seemingly endless debate over where to eat.

In a stroke of genius we decided on a new restaurant in Leominster, Rye & Thyme, and kicked off our feasting with their bacon appetizer. Yes, bacon, as in they bring you several thick cut trips of delicious bacon and that is your appetizer. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I think they had some veggies on the side but let’s be honest, no one wants that. Just bring more bacon. Thanks. But anyway, after the pile of bacon deliciousness I had duck pot pie which was absolutely fantastic, made with the typical pot pie ingredients and then topped off with a crunchy thyme biscuit. Melissa had a chicken bahn mi sandwich which looked epic and John had ale battered haddock with fries which looked equally as epic, but since the three of us were too busy shoveling the food into our faces (if we had feed bags or troughs instead of plates I think we would have been ok) we did not share with each other. When I’m back there in June I think I’m demanding they take me back to the restaurant so I can eat my way through the rest of the menu because everything there, without exception, sounded amazing.

As if stuffing myself there wasn’t enough Laurie and Jeff took me out for dinner in Chestnut Hill when I got back. Normally when visiting Boston I would always hit up Shino on Newbury St., but Shino has closed and is now Snappy Sushi which I’m told is just a sad shadow of the awesomeness of Shino (chicken teriyaki and California maki were staples of my college diet). Thankfully they had found Misono to fulfill all Shino cravings. While Misono is a Japanese and Korean restaurant and typically fusion places kind of weird me out, the sushi here was exceptional. I had the Go Green Roll, with spicy shrimp, octopus, crabstick, tobiko, eel, avocado, and sweet & spicy sauce. The menu indicates it is a customer favorite and I can see why; so much happiness stuffed into one roll does not seem feasible. Jeff had the Caterpillar Roll with eel, cucumber, spicy mayo, avocado, and eel sauce which was equally as delicious. Laurie had a lovely tray of assorted nigiri and an order of California rolls, all of which were delicious (yes, I was pilfering sushi from my friends and yes, I am one of those people who will steal off friends plates). We ended the sushi outing with some green tea ice cream and waddled back to the car to head home.

As if that wasn’t enough food to put me in a coma I decided to meet up with another friend, Hanlon, in Boston. He was out to dinner with his girlfriend and some other friends in the North End so I was super excited to A: head back to one of my favorite spots in Boston B: see Hanlon who I hadn’t seen in a very long time and C: meet his girlfriend finally. For some unknown reason Hanlon, a non-smoker, decided we should meet up at Stanza dei Sigari, one of the few cigar bars in Boston that serve alcohol. I think Hanlon originally selected this place for the hookah offerings but ended up trying out different cigars with the group he was with while I kicked back with a lovely glass of Chianti. While I’m not a smoker nor do I condone smoking anything (my Grandmama chain smoked for years and it was soooo gross so I’m traumatized), if you enjoy a good cigar the menu of them is about as thick as War and Peace so you may want to check this place out. For all the non-smokers like me there is a cute little coffee shop upstairs from it or full bar in the smoking areas.

Unfortunately the T stops running fairly early so I couldn’t stay as long as I would have liked, but I suppose it’s for the best since I had another early morning on my final day in Boston. It was Laurie’s birthday and Jeff was kind enough to make us lunch. We took a walk to the market to get the ingredients for lettuce wraps and stopped at Fiore’s Bakery to pick up birthday cake and coffee. I had a pumpkin latte with actual pumpkin puree in it so while good at first the bottom where the pumpkin had settled was a bit odd. By the time we got there a lot of the pastries had been sold out so I would recommend getting there early to ensure you get your breakfast of choice. The cake though was totally worth the hike there. The chocolate cake was super fluffy and moist and was iced with a gorgeous butter cream that almost had a tinge of smoky caramel. The best part was Laurie had requested a Big Bird (yes, the Sesame Street character and no, this was not an anti-Romney thing, this was just her thinking Big Bird is awesome) cake so the bright pink cake had a giant yellow butter cream children’s character on it. Big Bird was delicious, by the way.

After lettuce wraps and cake and wine it was time to say goodbye to my friends and my home away from home, Boston. I always feel a mixture of sadness and nostalgia when I leave, but then it always melts away the second I see the lights of Chicago below the plane and I know that I am home. Plus I will be back in June for Melissa’s wedding so I have more food adventures to look forward to!

Rye & Thyme, 14 Monument Square, Leominster http://www.ryeandthyme.com

Jessie’s Place, 11 Central Square, Chelmsford www.jessiesplacerestaurant.com

Fiore’s Bakery, 55 South Street, Jamaica Plain

Emack and Bolio’s at North Station, Boston www.emackandbolios.com

Limoncello Ristorante 190 North Street, Boston www.ristorantelimoncello.com

The Atomic Bean Café, 904 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Russell House Tavern, 1 JFK Street, Cambridge www.russellhousecambridge.com

Bova’s Bakery, 134 Salem Steet, Boston http://bovabakeryboston.com

Caffe Paradiso, 225 Hanover Street, Boston http://caffeparadiso.com

Violette- no store front but can be found at farmers markets or contacted about special orders http://violettegf.com

Misono, 669 VFW Parkway, Chestnut Hill www.mymisono.com

Caffe Bella Vita, 30 Charles Street, Boston

Panificio Bistro & Bakery, 144 Charles Street, Boston http://panificioboston.com

Upper Crust Pizza, 20 Charles Street, Boston http://theuppercrustpizzeria.com

Signs you’re too obsessed with food:

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:34:44 -0500

1. The autocorrect on your phone tries changing “doesn’t” to “dim sum.”

2. Your boss asks you for restaurant recommendations for very personal things, like where to take their spouse for their anniversary.

3. Your friends constantly take pictures of what they made and text them to you, sometimes looking for your approval.

4. People will typically only initiate conversation with you when they want to talk about food and grow increasingly more surprised when you can converse on other topics like literature or politics.

5. People assume that you eat gourmet meals every night (instead of the store bought hummus and pita chips that you’ve eaten four nights in a row, all washed down with some Miller Light).

6. Your Google history is all food related sites.

7. You have a photographic history of everything you have ever eaten since purchasing your first cell phone that included a camera on it.

8. Your newspaper preference is based on the quality of their food section.

9. Your book shelves include at least two of these: “Kitchen Confidential” (or any other Anthony Bourdain book), “Down and Out in Paris and London,” “The Edible Woman,” “Candy Freak,” “Like Water for Chocolate,” “The Jungle” or “Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink.”

10. You have purchased and repeatedly looked through cookbooks simply because the pictures are ridiculously amazing.

11. You have, or have contemplated, getting a food related tattoo.

12. When someone dislikes a food you love, you start to reconsider your relationship with that person.

13. Your Christmas list is all items from Williams Sonoma (because who doesn’t want a penguin wearing a Santa hat spatula).

14. All your phone apps are for finding or ordering food.

15. When talking about traveling you always end up focusing on what you ate rather than what you saw.

16. Immediately after eating you start looking up menus and planning out where to eat again.

17. All of your friends talk about relationship problems and you just talk about food problems.

18. You have at least one food establishment where people know your name (and probably more about you than the majority of your relatives).

19. You spend half your day working and half your day looking at things like: http://this-is-why-your-fat.tumblr.com/

20. You can relate to most of this list. If most of these resonate a little too well with you, may I suggest finding a good therapist and getting some non-food related hobbies. There’s obviously no hope for me anymore but there’s still a chance for you to escape the clutches of an all consuming food obsession.