I've been away from the blog for a while...which means I've been eating PB&J, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and a lot of cereal. Don't get me wrong - I love all of those foods, but I usually eat them when I'm on a budget.
This was a very gourmet budget -- I'm heading to Nantucket tomorrow and will be dining out at 21 Federal, the Pearl, Black Eyed Susans and more...
I look forward to sharing my dining experiences next week!
August 1, 2008
July 20, 2008
Cupcake Heaven
On Saturday, I ventured up to Southport to check out Southport Grocery for brunch. I am confident that I'll be going back there very soon.
My morning started with cupcake pancakes (did they create these with me in mind!?) which are made out of their vanilla cake batter and come with vanilla sugar butter and maple syrup. The waiter actually double checked if I wanted to give up my plate after he caught me trying to catch all of the crumbs onto my fork before he got to the table.
When I wasn't licking my own plate clean, I had a chance to try the grilled coffee cake and some tasty tater tots on my friends' plates. We all agreed that this was a completely satisfying meal, but we still needed a little something extra for later.
As you walk into line to pay your bill, it's impossible not to notice the bakery case. So I decided to try a few chocolate cupcakes. I'm pretty skeptical considering I've tried more than 4 cupcake bakeries in Chicago and I'm fairly picky.
Let's just say these cupcakes were heavenly. The chocolate cake was a perfect consistency, as was the thick vanilla frosting. I attribute that to the magic ingredient -- European style butter. Maybe I should start taste testing cupcakes in Europe...yumm
My morning started with cupcake pancakes (did they create these with me in mind!?) which are made out of their vanilla cake batter and come with vanilla sugar butter and maple syrup. The waiter actually double checked if I wanted to give up my plate after he caught me trying to catch all of the crumbs onto my fork before he got to the table.
When I wasn't licking my own plate clean, I had a chance to try the grilled coffee cake and some tasty tater tots on my friends' plates. We all agreed that this was a completely satisfying meal, but we still needed a little something extra for later.
As you walk into line to pay your bill, it's impossible not to notice the bakery case. So I decided to try a few chocolate cupcakes. I'm pretty skeptical considering I've tried more than 4 cupcake bakeries in Chicago and I'm fairly picky.
Let's just say these cupcakes were heavenly. The chocolate cake was a perfect consistency, as was the thick vanilla frosting. I attribute that to the magic ingredient -- European style butter. Maybe I should start taste testing cupcakes in Europe...yumm
July 16, 2008
Chilly M&M
Shout out to the M&M store for having volunteers passing out free M&M ice cream bars on Michigan Avenue today...a nice cold treat on one of the hottest days this summer. Hopefully my coworkers didn't notice my blue M&M stained lips :)
July 15, 2008
Goddess & Grocer
One of my new favorite lunch spots is Goddess and Grocer and I just learned that they deliver!
G&G has an excellent selection of toppings for make-your-own salads and I've become obsessed with the Goddess dressing. It's a little lemony with some sesame and soy flavors...tastes great with every salad I've made. (Tip - they sell the dressing in the store, so you can keep a bottle at home or work and put as much or as little as you want on your salad)
They also have great sandwiches...specifically the magic mushroom panini. It includes two of my favorite ingredients: portobello mushrooms, melted brie. YUM.
A bonus is that G&G also has prepared food that's perfect to heat up for dinner. So, while you're getting your lunch you can pick up dinner, dessert and a bottle of wine. That's what I call one stop shopping.
G&G has an excellent selection of toppings for make-your-own salads and I've become obsessed with the Goddess dressing. It's a little lemony with some sesame and soy flavors...tastes great with every salad I've made. (Tip - they sell the dressing in the store, so you can keep a bottle at home or work and put as much or as little as you want on your salad)
They also have great sandwiches...specifically the magic mushroom panini. It includes two of my favorite ingredients: portobello mushrooms, melted brie. YUM.
A bonus is that G&G also has prepared food that's perfect to heat up for dinner. So, while you're getting your lunch you can pick up dinner, dessert and a bottle of wine. That's what I call one stop shopping.
July 2, 2008
Top Dogs
Did you know that July is national hot dog month? I realize I just posted about hot dogs...but I want to make sure everyone knows about this glorious month.
If you're planning on grilling hot dogs this July, check out the Chicago Tribune's article on the best hot dogs in the supermarket.
If you're planning on grilling hot dogs this July, check out the Chicago Tribune's article on the best hot dogs in the supermarket.
BOKA
Last week, I finally had my first and highly anticipated BOKA dinner. My expectations were high because Perennial was such a great experience and BOKA was definitely on par.
For one thing, they serve Flowers wine. It's my official special occassion wine...and it's kind of like heaven in a glass of red wine. Ironically, we drank their special blend called Perennial! I won't waste your time by describing how it tasted, just take my word for it -- they make really good wine.
Ok, back to BOKA. The tuna appetizer was scrumptious and I was kind of bummed that I had to share it. One part was mild and the other was spicy, so it was just enough spice for my taste. The only thing I didn't like was the quail egg...it kind of grossed me out. I never claimed I was mature enough to eat these fancy things!
I decided to do a comparison and try the trout at BOKA as well. It was cooked to perfection and I really liked the truffle emulsion. Hard to say which was better, so let's call it a tie between the two trouts.
Now onto the dessert --the chocolate cake had some sort of tea infusion and almost tasted smokey. However, there were chocolate covered cherries on the side and the combo of cake/cherry diffused the smokey flavor. My compliments to the chef.
Bottom line - try out BOKA.
For one thing, they serve Flowers wine. It's my official special occassion wine...and it's kind of like heaven in a glass of red wine. Ironically, we drank their special blend called Perennial! I won't waste your time by describing how it tasted, just take my word for it -- they make really good wine.
Ok, back to BOKA. The tuna appetizer was scrumptious and I was kind of bummed that I had to share it. One part was mild and the other was spicy, so it was just enough spice for my taste. The only thing I didn't like was the quail egg...it kind of grossed me out. I never claimed I was mature enough to eat these fancy things!
I decided to do a comparison and try the trout at BOKA as well. It was cooked to perfection and I really liked the truffle emulsion. Hard to say which was better, so let's call it a tie between the two trouts.
Now onto the dessert --the chocolate cake had some sort of tea infusion and almost tasted smokey. However, there were chocolate covered cherries on the side and the combo of cake/cherry diffused the smokey flavor. My compliments to the chef.
Bottom line - try out BOKA.
Taxation without Representation
The new 10.25% sales tax is really not helping me and my love for afternoon snacks. My small frozen yogurt at King Cafe just cost $4.35. That's almost the exact same price I paid for my salad at lunch yesterday. Doesn't anything come cheap anymore!?
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