Installment 2: Sometimes the Best Foods in Life...

...come from Lettuce Entertain You.

Okay, okay...I know.  I have a problem.  I cannot go more than a month without a Lettuce Entertain You meal.  What's that you say?  A twelve-step program?!?  You can't make me!  I can quit anytime I want!!  But why on earth would I want to?

There's this great place I know of where you can get Lettuce Entertain You food...and spend less than $10.

You read that correctly.

And there's five different locations throughout the city of Chicago.

I'll let that sink in.

Two words, lovies.  Wow Bao.  Steamed Asian buns filled with savory meats (and sweet stuff if you want it...my friend said the coconut is delicious).  I usually get the BBQ pork (sweet and savory), the Mongolian beef (a wee bit spicier than I remembered it, but delish), or the chicken teriyaki (how could you possibly go wrong with that?).  I wish I had a photo for you, but it had been a while since breakfast...as soon as I sat down I did my best makeshift Cookie Monster impression.  Bao instead of cookies.  I know, it's a powerful visual...

They cost less than two dollars apiece, and I know I can never eat more than two.  So we're coming in at just under five dollars.  You with me so far?  Now throw in the homemade ginger ale, $2.49, and you've got lunch.  Excellent.

There's one in Water Tower Place, and there's one underneath the Renaissance Hotel at the corner of State and Lake.  Beyond that, you can check their site.

After eating only campus food for way, way, way too long, the highlight of my week thus far has been sitting at the counter at Wow Bao with a friend, enjoying a good meal that was entirely worth what I paid for it.

~AF

Snacking With the Foodie: Finals Edition

It's finals season, kiddies!  And that means the Foodie has to sequester herself, studying like a maniac.  As such, she needs some handy-dandy snack food that makes staying in worth it. 

If there's one food I cannot live without right now, it's probably wasabi almonds.  Or popcorn.  Or wasabi almonds and popcorn, just not together.

It was just what happened to be in the room.  I still have Rick Bayless's limited-edition Key Lime-Avocado salsa in the minifridge, but I have no chips (Oh, the humanity!).  We bought the almonds by accident.  Who knew wasabi seasoning could look like cinnamon-sugar seasoning when no one's wearing their glasses and you're in a hurry?

I'm trying (trying!) to eat healthy here in the dorm.  It's tough because of the tastiness level of cafeteria cheese sticks and waffle fries.  In my humble opinion, these spicy almonds could be considered a healthy snack.  Firstly, they're almonds.  And the spicy coating?  Well, here's my logic: it makes me want to chug water like it's going out of style.  Better hydration is a good thing.  Thanks, blazing-hot snackies!

Sometimes I just substitute popcorn for dinner.  If I'm really not that hungry or I'm too lazy to go to the cafeteria, I can pop in a bag of lightly-salted popcorn and not have to worry too much about the meal (don't skewer me for this, guys! But really, who hasn't been there? Too hungry not to eat, not hungry enough for a real meal...).

Popcorn is technically a whole grain anyway, so...

Happy Snackin'

~AF

Palatable Cafeteria Food? Say It Ain't So!

Well, lovies, the Foodie is having trouble getting to sleep.  Might have something to do with the caffeinated Coca-Cola she had not all that long ago.  But instead of just sitting here listening to Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl and looking at lame articles, I'm going to sit here listening to Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl and write you a little post.

(A side note, if you've never listened to any of the Live at the Bowl performances, you are missing out.  Freddie Mercury sounds amazing live.  Plus, Queen is just awesome.  I digress)

I tried something new in the cafeteria!  And I didn't hate it either.  Go figure.

It was barbecued salmon (by barbecued they mean baked far beyond doneness and slathered with barbecue sauce), steamed rice (really more like a pilaf) and roasted veggies.  The salmon was a wee bit on the dry side, and the barbecue sauce was piquant, but it had flavor, by golly!  The pilaf was tasty, not soggy like cafeteria rice can sometimes be, and the veggies were quite nice if they were cooked right, although they ranged in doneness from too al dente to 'is this zucchini or charcoal?'

Over winter break, I will be making my own variation.  I'm thinking a nice baked salmon with herbed butter sauce, a nice creamy risotto (perhaps mushroom, though I haven't decided yet), and some roasted root vegetables.  My faves are carrot, zucchini, and sweet potato tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika along with baby red pearl onions and roasted until soft and oh-so-good.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

~AF

A Foodie Aghast: Tales from the Cafeteria

The Foodie's on a weekend-long research binge (hip-hip-hooray!), and as such must stock up on sustenance early in the day in order to lock herself in her room and work.  Maybe I should have just hit the salad bar...

Today, I decided I would get one of the enormous egg scrambles from the cafeteria...I can never finish it in one sitting anyway, and it's cafeteria food, so it can't taste much worse re-microwaved than "fresh."  It's pretty basic, scrambled eggs (thoroughly cooked. Thoroughly.), hash browns, cheese.  I added sausage to it today because, well, why not?  I was starving.

My appetite was diminished slightly as I stood waiting to collect my food and go.  I had a clear view of the kitchen with it's flat-top griddle.  A mound of hash browns was sizzling merrily away, along with a little pile of chopped sausage patty.  All that was left was the eggs.  The line cook took out a tub and ladled (ladled!) one scoop, two scoops of oil onto the griddle!  He ladled oil!  I could feel my circulatory system crying out, 'Don't do it!!'  And then came the eggs.  A generous scoop and a half.  Nearly the same volume quantity as the oil.  Gulp.

I'm not quite sure what I was really expecting.  It's the cafeteria.  It's hash browns and eggs, not exactly health food as it is.  But golly, readers...

I don't think I can ever bring myself to order it again, although it is full of flavor (likely due to copious amounts of salt and cheeses).  I just did away with (read: ate) the leftovers a moment ago.  And now I'm going to go drink 2 gallons of water and eat some fruit.

Just to make myself feel better.

~AF

Installment 1: Sometimes the Best Foods in Life...

...are worth wending your way through a jam-packed restaurant at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon to enjoy.

Here's my feeble attempt at starting a series.  I say 'feeble' because, as we all know, the Foodie doesn't get out much lately.  But I did last Friday.

For this installment, we're talking real-deal comida mexicana (that's Mexican food, for all you angloparlantes out there).  Now, if the closest you've ever gotten to auténtico has been the drive-thru window at your local Taco Bell, we've gotta have a little chat.  Especially since there's so much more to Mexican food than Nachos Supreme (which, by the way, I'm sure isn't actually Mexican at all).

And this time we're not headed to Bayless Row on Clark Street.  For this installment, we're off to Pilsen.

Now I know what you're thinking: 'Pilsen?!? I've never been there before...is it safe? I'm not so sure about going to new neighborhoods...And how do I get there anyway?'  Calm down, queridos.  We'll work through this together.

Going to Pilsen during the daytime feels far from intimidating.  When I went there, no one was really around because it was pouring rain, but that's neither here nor there.  It helped that I was with someone who was familiar with the area.  If you're in doubt, bring a friend along.  You won't have to venture far from the 'L' station, anyway.  And as always, just be sensible!  Don't look like you're petrified and you have no clue where you're going.  If that's too difficult for you, hop back on the train and head home.

Our destination is about two blocks from the train.  Nuevo León is hard to miss, as long as you don't confuse it with the panadería of the same name just down the street.  When you get off the 18th Street stop on the Pink Line, head past Ashland about a block.  The storefront is colorfully painted, as you can see in the photo.  It'll be on your right.

It almost has a diner-like atmosphere inside during lunchtime.  It is so crowded and noisy, filled with all manner of people, Latino and not.  And the whole restaurant just smells like delicious food.

When you sit down, you get chips and salsa, along with some sort of small appetizer, free of charge.  To drink, they have Jarritos, a delicious soft drink from Mexico (I'd recommend the pineapple or fruit punch...tamarind is also popular, though I've never tried it).  But I'm on an horchata kick, so that's what I had to go for.  It was delicious, not quite as chunky as the stuff from Xoco but still super-refreshing and apparently made authentically, and it only cost a dollar.  One.  Dollar.

I got tacos, because I wasn't feeling too adventurous.  Simple, no-fuss tacos de asada.  They were made with corn tortillas (I'm guessing they were purchased from the tortillería next door) and filled with super-flavorful marinated skirt steak.  Accoutrements came on the side (iceberg lettuce, tomato, white onion).  My only complaint could be that they were a little greasy.  But it isn't a big complaint.  Not when they taste that good.

I brought back leftovers, and the food tasted just as good the second time around.  I'll admit, I did put some Frontera salsa on my tacos when I reheated them later.  But that was only to make sure they didn't dry out in the microwave (I hate microwaving really good food.  I'm always paranoid about ruining it).  Something amazing happens when you put amazing salsa on an amazing taco, and one can hardly fault me for it.

Total bill for the meal (which was more like 2 meals): $7, not including tax.

That's not bad, now is it?

I'd recommend going there at an odd time (like, not during the lunch rush).  Everybody already knows this place is awesome, and according to my Pilsen-familiar acquaintance, there's often a line out the door waiting for tables.  Grab a friend, hop on the train...maybe make a day of it and visit the National Museum of Mexican Art (which, by the way, is free).

I'm gonna find somebody to drag along to Nuevo León one of these days...I'm sort of in the mood for tacos...

~AF

There's Something About Millie's

Lazy Sunday mornings are the best.  And they're better with pancakes.  (Find me one gluten-eating human being that will tell you otherwise.  I dare ya.)  They're almost utopian when the pancakes are from Millie's Pancake Shoppe in Addison.

You know a restaurant is doing something right when people are willing to stand in line and wait a half hour or more to get a table.  Did I mention this is just a pancake place?

It's only been around forever.  Okay, maybe not forever.  But it's been in the same spot in an Addison strip mall since 1959.  Millie's is enduring, and it always seems to be busy.  Now, that could be because I only ever go there on weekends.  But it's a good sign for a restaurant to be that packed (at least, I think it is).

It's a place my grandparents love.  It's a place my parents and my aunts love.  And it's a place that I love.  They don't play music in the restaurant (at least I don't think so...I've never noticed it).  The only soundtrack seems to be the clatter of silverware on ceramic plates and the chatter of contented diners that want to stick around for just one more cup of coffee and finish their conversations.

The menu is very down-home and no-frills.  They serve regular buttermilk pancakes, waffles, potato pancakes.  There's nothing with a gimmicky name, no whipped-cream-and-frosting-covered pancake stacks...Sunday's special was biscuits and gravy.  There's a seasonal pumpkin pancake special, but that's about as crazy as things get at Millie's.

Every time I go, I resolve to try something new (the menu, though full of staples, is extensive).  I never ever do.

I always get potato pancakes, either with bacon or country ham (depends on how healthy I'm feeling. I'm biased toward the bacon though).  They're moist inside, golden outside, lightly flavored with onion and just light enough that I can pretty much clean the plate (even though I regret it every time...but they're just that tasty).

The ten thousand dollar question? Sour cream or applesauce.  The irrefutable answer? Both!  How could I ever choose?  That's like asking me to choose between Jane Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as my favorite British author.  Can't do it.

To return to the subject of food, I also drink coffee.  A lot of coffee...the cups are small (or at least that's how I justify it).  The coffee's strong, perfect alongside any breakfast staple.  I may have had (gulp) four cups last time?  I lost count.  The last cup was purely an excuse to stay and keep the conversation going.  I'm telling you, people just want to stay and talk.

Go for the food.  Stay for the conversation.  The check?  No, I'd rather have another refill, thanks.  And by the way, how have you been?

~AF

Roll Out the Barrel...And Then Some

 As the child of parents that aren't huge wine drinkers, I've been going to Lynfred Winery's Oktoberfest a suspiciously long time...and this year the Foodie was workin' it (the food station, that is).

Oh, the food...

Roast pork.  Tasty, whole-hog roast pork.  I scooped more than a couple of those roast pork dinners on Saturday.  After that, you'd think I wouldn't want to even think of pork, much less eat it.  But I brought some home for dinner after my shift was over.  It seemed just as tasty as it would have if I hadn't been staring at the stuff for the past eight hours.

And then there's the sweet corn.  It's roasted in the husk (a preparation I am desperate to try), and then dunked in butter or garlic oil. Mmm, delicious.  I had some of that too.

Now, there's also some other stuff...bratwurst burgers (sounds strange until you try it...they're awesome), sauerkraut and German potato salad (I'd say these two are an acquired taste.  I just happen to have acquired it).

We mustn't forget the desserts.  Caramel apples, cherry strudel (I had some! I soon wished I had more!), über-fudgy brownies (See what I did there? I spoke German! Impressive for a girl minoring in Spanish...By the way the brownies were insane. I hope there's more next year), and, of course, German chocolate cake.

The food wasn't the only attraction, either.  There were games (Oh, the games! Only made better, I am sure, by the beverages being consumed!).  Grape spitting, grape stomping, costume contests (It's the worst when you show up and realize you're the only one not wearing your lederhosen).  And there was music!  There was a new band this year, and they were just awesome.

Oh yeah...it's a winery.  Silly me.  There was wine.  Lots of it.  And tasty stuff too, from what I understand.  Each year, the winery releases a special Oktoberfest wine.  There's apple in the blend this year.  It seems like there's been a light, apple-y note to it in recent years, so adding the fruit itself makes sense.  It's a wine for people who think they don't really like wine.  (Now, I can't drink it, but who's to say I don't get a lil' taste of it at home? Just a sip, lovies.)  But there was no consumption of alcoholic beverages for the Foodie during her shift, no siree!

By the time I got home, I was exhausted; I had polka music in my head, my feet were sore...and I had sauerkraut on my shoes. (I have an explanation for that! I was scooping the sauerkraut! Oh, come on...stop judging me...)

Unfortunately, since I had to get back to school today, we didn't go back to enjoy being on the opposite side of the food windows.  There's always next year...until then, I'll just dream of roasting pig and polka music.

Check out the winery's website for information about events.  Oktoberfest only happens once a year, so keep your eyes peeled next fall.  The winery is also on Facebook and Twitter.  Like them!  Follow them!

Keep your eyes out for the Foodie's next post, too, kids!  Not sure when that will be, but you know where to look.

Prost! (That means 'Cheers!' in German...just in case you weren't sure)

~Amateur Foodie

AF Hits a New Neighborhood! Chinatown, Here We Come!

Readers, this is a bona fide Amateur Foodie Bargain Spot.  I had a ton of delicious food, I have leftovers in the fridge, and I spent less than ten dollars.

I'll give you a minute to pick yourself up off the floor and dust yourself off.  Shocking, I know.  It's cheap.  Like, really cheap.

The restaurant I went to is called Saint's Alp.  Apparently it started off as a chain in Asia, but all I'm concerned with is the fact that it's in Chicago.  Because that means I can go there without needing airfare.

Saint's Alp is on Archer Avenue, just a short walk from the Cermak Brown Line stop.

I was lucky enough to be eating with someone who had been there before, and she told us what to order.

I ended up with the Yakitori Chicken Stick Rice Set.  This may take some 'splaining:

For $8.95, you get 3 skewers of yakitori chicken. 

And you get a bowl of rice topped with a savory mincemeat mixture...looks yucky, tastes delicious. 

And you get three big cubes of tofu drizzled with soy (which you will never, ever, ever, ever be able to eat with chopsticks. Don't try, it'll end up in your lap). 

And you get some broccoli (your excuse to say you ate your vegetables).  And something called a tea egg, which I wasn't quite brave enough to try (apparently it was tasty). 

And you get a drink (I ordered a ruby red grapefruit nectar, cold.  It was like a grapefruit slushie, with little cubes of fruit gelatin floating in the bottom. Weird but delish).

Whew.  Are you feeling full yet?  Because I am.

I wish I would have tried the tea, since Saint's Alp is, in all reality, a tea house.  But I'll get the chance at some point.  Because with their decent prices, there's no real excuse not to go back.

~AF

A Bayless Torta Drowning in Sauce...On Purpose, Of Course

Here at last, lovies!  The Xoco post I've promised!

Last weekend my aunt and I were near Bayless Row (a new nickname I'm trying to coin...help a girl out!), but Frontera was closed to prepare for dinner service.  As disappointed as I was, it gave me just the opportunity I was looking for to try a sandwich I'd only heard of from Bayless's pretty-fast-semi-casual-but-still-pretty-upscale torta shop, Xoco ("little sister" in Mexican slang).

It's called a torta ahogada, which literally means drowned sandwich.  It's built on a great, sort of chewy, rustic-style bread.  The loaf's guts are removed to make room for the filling; it's smeared with black beans and stuffed with carnitas (amazing pork, that's all you need to know) and pickled white onions before being placed in a soup bowl with a spicy arbol chile sauce.  It's presented to you with a spoon.  I wasn't sure how to go about eating it.  I picked it up (probably the wrong idea...sauce was running down my wrists), but I guess you could break it down and eat it with the spoon...

Behold, the glory, the deliciousness...the torta ahogada.

I cannot possibly convey to you the deliciousness of this sandwich.  The pork is so tender, so flavorful.  It stands up to the über-flavorful sauce (okay, it's a Mexican spot...la salsa sabrosísima) and its subtleties pair nicely with the sharp, piquant bite of the still-crisp pickled onion.  The beans are a background note of flavor, but I'm sure the sandwich would lack something without them.  Sopping up all that delicious (and spicy) sauce is what the bread is designed for, I'm convinced.

Thankfully you can choose the heat level of your sauce (is there anything you've not thought of, Bayless?).  I asked for mild, and I'll admit my nose started to run a bit from the heat.  The one thing that saved me?  Oh, just you wait...

At Xoco, as with any of Bayless's restaurants, there is a featured agua del día, essentially drink of the day.  The day I was there, the drink of the day was horchata.  I have always wanted to try horchata.  It's a drink made from ground almonds or rice...unfortunately, I didn't have the good sense to inquire at the register what Bayless's horchata was made of.  If I were to venture a guess, I'd say almond.  But it's sweet and creamy and just what you need to cool down the fire of an arbol sauce.  If it's ever featured, be sure to try it!

The perfect end to my meal was the single churro that I brought back to my dorm room in a little paper bag.  It was crunchy, a little chewy, and coated in the most delicious blend of cinnamon, coarse sugar, and crushed cacao.  I only wish I would've eaten it in the store with a cup of chocolate.

Sabrosísimo.

~AF

Burgers Go Gourmet on Armitage

Okay, so I fibbed...I didn't get my posts done when I said I would.  Forgive me?  This post is worth reading, I promise!

There's a fairly new burger shop down on Armitage in Lincoln Park that's garnering all sorts of attention from food bloggers and magazines (hello, Men's Health Manliest Burger Place in America!).  Let me take you to Butcher and the Burger.

It's on the corner of Armitage and Kenmore, and it's not a big space.  I have to be honest.  But it is so cool.  So cool.

Here's how it works:

1. Pick your meat blend (I know! Amazing! They have beef, turkey, and if I remember correctly, some gamey stuff like elk and bison.)
2. Pick your seasoning blend (You get to choose?!?)
3. Pick your bun (Pretzel! Split-top egg! Just lettuce! Just lettuce? Why on earth would I want to do that when they have pretzel buns??)
4. Pick your cheese (Read carefully: They do not charge you extra for getting blue cheese or goat cheese as opposed to, say, a nice cheddar. To the person that came up with this idea: High five. And you deserve a hug...or a medal.)
5. Pick your other toppings (Extra charge for certain stuff, but the griddled mushrooms I had were well worth it.)
6. Sit down and wait for them to call your name.
7. Receive your Hulk-sized burger, served on a wooden cutting board (If you like it, you can buy one!)
8. Drool (Hey, watch it, you...you're just embarrassing yourself.)
9. Eat.  Don't hesitate, just get in there. Though you may need a steak knife to make that burger cooperate (Let it know who's boss!)

Here's the Amateur Foodie's order:

AF's burger...so very delicious!

Prime blend, simple seasoning (Salt & pepper only), pretzel bun, blue cheese, griddled mushrooms.  The only thing that might have improved on this slightly would've been some steak sauce.  But that's just me...

My mom got the steakhouse seasoning, and it was also delicious, probably a little more delicious than my S&P burger...but I did that for a reason.  I wanted to see if I loved the burger without frills (okay, blue cheese and mushrooms are frills...gimme a break!).  And I did.  The meat was good enough to stand alone, without any garlic-powder-paprika-über-flavorful accoutrements.  But I'm getting the steakhouse seasoning next time.

My mom, dad, and I ordered a large fry to split between the three of us...

Oh my lord, there were so many fries!

This picture does the fries and truffle mayo no justice.  It was a mountain. A delicious fried mountain.

Unless you're planning on splitting the fries between eight or so people, you probably don't need to order a large.  But hey, I'm not judging.  They're golden and crispy, not over-salted, not too greasy.  They're seasoned perfectly for going with some sort of condiment...

We ordered a very, very special condiment for our fries: truffle mayo.  Now, usually I'm not a big mayonnaise person.  And mayo with fries?  Eh.  But this?  Oh, was it good...Savory and complex, creamy and yet not too heavy.  At least it didn't seem heavy.  Plus it has truffle in it.  Tell me you can say no to that, I dare you.

Nothing like dipping your deep-fat-fried 'tater sticks in a bowl of more fatty deliciousness...Just be judicious.  Eat the mayo in moderation.  But please eat it at least once, I beg of you.

Coca-Cola de México

And to cap off my calorie-bomb meal (my own doing...felt like I had to go to the gym afterwards, but quite frankly, I was too full to move), I had a bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola, the kind made with sugarcane that comes in a snazzy glass bottle.  You'd think that since it's made with real sugarcane it would be super sweet, but it isn't.  It's refreshing, plus it doesn't make your teeth feel like they're rotting.  It isn't easy to find at restaurants, and Butcher and the Burger seems like the perfect spot to enjoy it.

The whole place feels like a throwback, with lots of butcher-block counter tops, industrial-feeling hardware on the stools that cleverly fold under the long counter, and boxes of beignet mix on old-looking shelves throughout the dining space.  I couldn't possibly have seen all the cool little touches inside the restaurant.  My mom pointed out an old clock waaay up high, near the ceiling.  I should've snapped a photo...I think it was from an airport?

Expect to pay a little extra for your burger than you would at, say, a SmashBurger or a Five Guys.  There's a reason for that.  Custom-blended meat, old-fashioned style, and the ability to customize to your own specifications, maybe more than at any other Build-a-Burger joint in existence today.

~AF

(**Look for my post about Rick Bayless's torta shop, Xoco, over the next few days...and don't forget to look for your favorite foodie on Twitter! @KaitlynKesler1**)

Okay, Kiddies...Still to Come: Premium Burgers and Drowned Sandwiches!

It's too late for me to put up a full post about my food adventures right now...I need to go to bed.  Suffice it to say, though, I ate well on Friday and Saturday.

Upcoming:

• Butcher and the Burger: A Lincoln Park build-a-burger joint with rockin' fries and truffle mayo!
• Xoco: Rick Bayless fails to disappoint yet again with a carnitas torta swimming in spicy arbol sauce...plus my first experience drinking horchata. 
• Garrett popcorn! That is all.

Get ready, guys!  You'll hear all about it.  Hopefully I'll have time during my lunch break tomorrow, but if not, you'll see my reviews (and photos!) by tomorrow night (10 pm, CST).

Peace, Love, and Buen provecho!

~AF

Making the Most of the Salad Bar

So, college food is not great.  Correction, it is downright awful.  But there are often a few gleaming rays of hope within that sea of greasy pizza slices and overcooked pasta (a travesty...but I'll rant about that another time).  Case in point, the salad bar.

At my school, the salad bar is quite excellent.  There's a great variety of stuff that you can load up on, and this could either be a nutritional dream or a calorie-loaded nightmare.

I don't purport to be some sort of nutritionist.  I'm studying journalism, for crying out loud! But I do know, more or less, what is healthy and what most certainly is not.

As a rule, I try to get about four different colors on my plate.  Yes, colors.  I'll generally go with the Mesclun greens.  Why?  The Romaine is boring, and the spinach is a little on the bitter side for me.  Just with that, I've already got some green and purple foods.  I add on green peas and edamame (apparently I like green stuff...that's good, right?).  I also toss in a scoop of high-fiber, high-protein garbanzo beans (chickpeas).  I also have really come to like beets on my salad.  At our school's salad bar, the beets are served as slices.  Depending on how big the slices are, I'll go with three or four.

Carrots are my next addition.  My aunt would cringe; she doesn't like them.  But I do, and they're all loaded with beta carotene and vitamins and stuff.  Then comes the fun part: the little additive things.  I try to limit this, because this is the area where you can usually find the most unnecessary calories.

I always sprinkle some sunflower seeds on my lettuce.  These are fairly benign as long as they aren't salted.  I don't think they are at my school.  They're chock-full of healthy fats.  Today I added in a scoop of dried cranberries.  And I may continue to do that.  It was pretty tasty.

My dressing of choice is balsamic vinaigrette.  It is fairly neutral, in that it goes with pretty much all the stuff I add in.

I've started venturing out on a limb a bit.  Today, there was a cold salad of roasted potatoes, roasted red peppers and basil.  And another day I decided I would add some button mushrooms (apparently there were tasty roasted ones, but I opted for the raw sliced version...clearly an oversight).  But with a nutrition-dense core blend of vegetation, a little bit of potato salad won't hurt me at all.

Dr. Oz and many others have said that the key to healthy eating is to eat the rainbow...let's see how we've done: Green (lettuce, peas, edamame), Purple (lettuce), Red (beets, cranberries), Orange (carrots), and Tan (chickpeas).  I'd say a job well done.

~AF

AF's Basic Salad Bar Blend (all measurements are approximate):

1 c. Mesclun greens

1/4 c. green peas

1/4 c. raw edamame (soybeans)

1/4 c. chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/4 c. shredded carrots

3 or 4 beet slices, depending on size

1 Tsp. roasted sunflower seeds

1 Tsp. dried cranberries

1 or 2 Tsp. balsamic vinaigrette

A Return to the 'Burbs...But Just For a Moment!

Darlings, the Foodie has a plan...subsist during the week on salad bar creations and soup (plus the requisite latté, of course) so that, when given the chance, she can indulge in things far more delicious than she could ever encounter in the school cafeteria.

On a trip home this past weekend (joy of joys!), I was lucky enough to be able to go to my absolute favorite restaurant...my favorite Italian restaurant, that is...we mustn't play favorites.  Never know who's reading, now do we?

Anyways!  Off to Antico!  The risotto of the day was an obvious seasonal nod, featuring sweet corn (glory be!), along with pork tenderloin, caramelized onions, and a splash of aged balsamic.

Risotto, in my opinion, is one of the many dishes that just make your eyes roll back in your head.  It is that good.  The texture, the flavor...all that cheese!  And this risotto was no exception, by any means.  Velvety and creamy, rich, smooth and yet a bit toothsome.  It was awesome.  And it was only made better by the fact that the corn was just shaved off the cob and tossed in at the last minute.

Now, you may be thinking, 'Raw corn! Oh, but Foodie, that isn't right!'

It is so right.  Especially when the corn is this fresh.  It is sweet without even needing to be cooked.  And by not boiling the stuff to oblivion, there remains a wonderfully contrasting texture, a slight crunch, that lightens up the risotto in a way (unfortunately, it didn't make it seem light enough for me to indulge in a mini dessert...shame, really...).

And now, regrettably, I must offer some notes of criticism to my beloved Antico Posto.

The tenderloin...was not tender.  I've had tenderloin there before that was served with a heavy-duty serrated steak knife alongside, but which would only have required a butter knife.  This time, all I had to work with was an excessively dull butter knife, and a piece of pork that simply refused to disassemble.

The pork wasn't really dry...but it wasn't as luscious as I've had it.  Perhaps someone turned away from it at the critical moment, and it was left to seize up a bit before placed atop my dish.  Whatever the reason, although I found the flavor of the meat to be delightful (what wonders a splash of the balsamic will do!), I could have gone without it entirely.

And I must add also that the caramelized onions could have gone a bit longer.  They were caramelized and sweet, but they lacked a certain velvety spreadability that I have come to appreciate in a cooked onion.  Their residual strength of structure made it rather difficult to evenly disperse the stuff throughout my rice.  I would have liked if it had fallen apart.  All the more flavor to spread around.

But I can hardly complain much more than that.  The closest thing I've had to Italian food on campus was at a Build-Your-Own-Pasta station.  I was met with overcooked, under-drained farfalle sauced with a lackluster and undersalted marinara.  My flavor combinations would have been glorious had they taken some Pasta 101 classes from the cooking school.  And the garlic bread looked like it had toasted breadcrumbs on it...how redundant!

Look for my next post: Building the Best Salad Plate!

Peace, Love, and (Hopefully) Antico to You All!

~AF

The End of Great Food Recommendations? Certainly Not!

It isn't the end, readers!  The Foodie has found herself dropped into the middle of a veritable Mecca of tasty cuisine.  And our first stop on this culinary journey is the beautiful country of Spain for (you guessed) tapas!

I feel like I'm cheating on Meson Sabika with a sleeker, hipper restaurant.  And I guess in a way I am.  But Naperville is just too far away for me right now!

So there's this place in Lincoln Park, down on Halsted...you may have heard of it.  Or maybe the name just reminds you of a Ricky Ricardo catchphrase.  Of course, I'm referring to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.  No, I'm not joking...that's the name of the place.

Anyway, it's a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so if you get points...more power to you.  The decor is old-fashioned and cool.  Think a blend of wood paneling, exposed brick and murals, toss in some rockin'-looking Iberico hams (love!) hanging from the ceiling above the bar (not joking...they have hooves on them and they're imported and awesome), and you've got one heck of a spot.

The gorgeous bar is a main feature when you walk in, framed up nicely by the long row of windows to your right when you walk in.  The bartender has a really snazzy mustache (this must be a big trend, because Bayless's bartender has some wacky facial hair too).  And according to my parents and my aunt, their sangrias (both traditional red and seasonal white peach) were tasty.  Not that I'd have any clue.

Anyways...

We went to town trying their tapas, even ordering some dishes that we consider our mainstays at Meson Sabika (just for comparison).

I'm going to make this a photo review!  Something shiny and new!  Read the captions, dearies...

~AF

(For the record, I do still adore Meson Sabika.  It is my first love when it comes to tapas.  And I like it just a little bit better.  But this is an awesome place too.  Nothing scathing on this page, that's for sure.)

Okay.  Clockwise from top: sangria (looked pretty); bread (heartier than Meson...but tastier in a way because it was served with olive oil, not butter!); aceitunes (marinated olives, more of a mix than Meson...I like the variety of it, but the flavor at Meson was far superior. But you should still order them); datiles con tocino (loves, they are so good! Crispy bacon, melt-in-your-mouth dates, dressed in an apple vinaigrette and served with little apple chunks.  There's bacon. Can't go wrong.).

Queso de cabra al horno: Baked goat cheese in a tomato-basil sauce.  Almost as good as Meson.  Missed it by that much.  Sorry, the first was the better in this case.

Meatballs in sherry tomato sauce: They were tender to the point of being crumbly.  And the sauce seemed a little flat to me.  Sorry, but I just wasn't digging it.

Oh. My. Goodness.  That is a plate of sweet potatoes with pomegranate aioli.  Order it.  Order it now.  It is that good.  I could have just eaten the aioli with a spoon.  If only they'd given us more of it...

Skewer of chicken and Spanish chorizo: Not what I would have ordered.  It was my sister's idea, and it was a good way for her to branch out a little.  There's not much that could mess up good chicken and good sausage.  If you're not adventurous enough for pomegranate aioli, this is the route to take.  It's good, just not bold enough for my liking.

Well, she ain't pretty...These are sherry-glazed pork ribs.  And they're good.  Thing is, there's a lot of sherry glaze going on on the plate.  If you like barbecue ribs, you'll probably like this.  It seemed a little more South Carolina than south of Spain.  But it was tasty.

Ask them to bring you a spoon with this item.  This, my friends, is a slow-braised beef shortrib.  And you can cut it with a spoon.  Try it.  It comes with velvety mashed potatoes, and if you're smart you'll have it brought out early, before you've filled up on hearty bread and goat cheese.  I just wish I'd had room for it.  Because it was good...

Pincho de Solomillo: It's so simple.  And simple dishes are where you can tell if a restaurant is doing things right.  Ba-Ba-Reeba sure is.  This was just as tasty as the pincho from Meson, and I may have even liked this horseradish cream a little better.  Just meat and a grill.  And they made it taste good.  This is how you do it.  But I still love my Meson Sabika.

The Mac Daddy: Homemade Baked Mac 'n' Cheese

Nothing much to it, lovies!  You just need a handful of ingredients, and you too can make tasty pasta!

I made this for my sister's birthday, and everybody loved it!  (A success, I tell you!)

Basic Baked Mac:

Melt some butter in a saucepan.  When it begins to foam, add a quantity of flour equal to the amount of butter you added (1 tablespoon of butter to one tablespoon of flour, etc., based on how much sauce you're making).

Now whisk, whisk, whisk!  Don't let it burn!  The flour needs to cook out a little.  After a few minutes over medium heat, begin to whisk in some milk (nothing lower in fat than 2%. Skim milk screws this up).  Keep whisking!  Don't want any lumps in that béchamel.

Add in a dash of nutmeg (that flavor that'll make you wonder why it tastes so good) and a dash of dry mustard (it lends depth of flavor).

Now add in your cheese.  I may have erred in using a sharp aged cheddar.  Tasty, for sure, but it didn't melt nicely!  You really need a Gruyére or other melting cheese.  Whisk it in and check to see if you need salt.  Depends on the cheese you use.

Pour the sauce over your pasta (macaroni is good, cavatappi is better!  Part macaroni, part corkscrew pasta, all good when it comes to cheese sauces).  Mix well so every noodle has sauce on it, then pour it all into a greased casserole dish.  Top it off with a mix of sharp cheddar (a must in this case), grated parmesan (for nuttiness), and breadcrumbs (I like Italian-seasoned, but Panko works well too).

Pop the whole concoction into the oven at 375 F and let it bake away until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden and crispy.  I made my macaroni in a 9"x9" glass casserole and popped it into the toaster oven.  Being that the top was close to the heating element, the topping crisped quickly, so I really can't tell you how long yours will take in a real oven.

Adjust the recipe to your taste, just like I always say (I like changing up the cheeses and adding meats like sausage or ham).

Bon Apetít!

~AF

C is for Cookies! Gamboling About in Lincoln Park with the Foodie

Ah, dearies, I've neglected you yet again.  And this evening I am loath to say that I will publish my final two posts from the comfort of my home.  Any posts from here on out will (more likely than not) be sent out from my...dorm room.  I know.  You don't want to hear about the cafeteria food.  And quite frankly, I don't want to tell you about it.

I'm not sure where this blog will go from here.  But I'll figure it out eventually.

For now, let's talk Lincoln Park and beyond!

It should be noted that restaurants along Lincoln Avenue aren't really open for lunch until eleven on weekdays.  It only makes sense.  But my parents and I got there early...and hungry.

After much walking and waffling (unfortunately an activity that had nothing whatsoever with waffles...) over where we should dine, we decided on a bar called Lincoln Station.  Not to be confused with Lincoln Hall.  That's just a hop, skip, and a jump away and is more of a late-evening music venue.

But anyway...It was eleven in the morning.  At a bar.  We were the first ones there, and remained the only ones there until shortly before we left.  There were multiple televisions there, broadcasting soccer, Sports Center, and various other athletic-themed programs...whatever's on at eleven in the morning.  I don't pay attention.  I like hockey, not football analyses.  The sound was off, so all we really had to entertain us was conversation.  Oh, drears...

I'm starting to make a habit of asking servers for meal recommendations.  And it was a good idea!  I had a Southern Spud.  Yes, darlings, a Spud.  As in a baked potato.  Stuffed with barbecued pulled pork, melted pepperjack cheese, and topped with creamy coleslaw.  With a pickle on the side.

When I read the item description, I realized this 'tater was not something I would ever have chosen as a lunch when left to my own devices.  I guess I just figured, 'Eh, why not?'

Allow me to be frank with you.  The potato was as big as my head.  As big as my head.  And buttered.  Stuffed.  Cheese-topped.  And coleslawed.  (Don't ask yourself if it's a word.  You're picking up what I'm laying down.)

I have to admit, I was hungry enough to mow through the slaw (crunchy enough for being scooped atop a hot potato, and a great contrast for the cheese and pork), most of the cheese (c'mon, it's cheese...of course I liked it!), and the delicious, saucy, tender pork (I would just order a bowl of that!).  The starchy meat-cheese-slaw vehicle (i.e. potato), on the other hand?  I hardly made a dent.  But it was all good!  Don't be turned away by the Spud.  But please consider sharing it with a friend.  Or running a marathon afterwards.  Your choice.

My mom got a burger named after Chicago's most famous public enemy, John Dillinger.  I should mention that the restaurant is located just across the street from the historic Biograph theater, site of Dillinger's death.  There's a restaurant called Dillinger's just down the street, but that'll probably be the topic for another post.  Back to the burger: Avocado, bacon, cheddar, griddled onions.  To put it simply, pretty gangster.  (I couldn't resist.)

And the french fries were tasty enough that, although I had a starch bomb the size of a Winnebago on my own plate, I kept snatching them and snacking on them.  They must've been good!

After a little jaunt 'round the neighborhood, we finally got to my dream destination, Cookie Bar!  Cue the dazzling lights and disco music!

Actually, the shop doesn't open until one in the afternoon.  It's down on Lincoln Avenue, in a shop the shape of a pie wedge (someone thought it'd be fun to run the street at a funny angle...).  The owners are theater guys, and the names of a few of their cookies reflect that.  They're so nice!  Much quieter than I thought they'd be...but that's okay.

The decor in the store is modern, yet really simple.  And at one in the afternoon, it is pretty darned quiet.  We were the only ones there.  Again.  I'm guessing the neighborhood really comes alive in the evening.  But who knows?

They were bold enough to call their store a bar, so of course you can get some shots while you're there.  But I'm not sure if you can choose between 2% or skim...That's right, they offer a shot of milk to go with your cookies.

And oh, the cookie's you'll find!  The day we went, there was a Nutella-chocolate chip cookie.  That's right.  You get chocolate with your chocolate-hazelnut spread.  Can I get a 'whoop, whoop?'  And there were some Cookie Bar standbys, like the Lisa Marie (peanut butter, banana, and peanut butter cups), the Sybil (split personality, half sugar cookie, half fudgy, cinnamon-y brownie), and some tasty oatmeal raisin cookies.

From left to right, chocolate-Nutella, oatmeal raisin, and more chocolate-Nutella. Oh yes they did.

I got the Sybil, because I just couldn't resist.  It was way better than it sounds.  And it sounds delicious!

Don't miss the cookies!  You'll regret it if you do.

Now, a final leg of our journey took us to Belmont Avenue, just down the road from Kuma's biker bar.  There's this little place that's been getting a little buzz.  And it's called Black Dog Gelato.

Yes, we got lunch and cookies and gelato.  I went to the gym.  Honest, I did.

At Black Dog they encourage you to sample!  Hallelujah!  I tasted a cinnamon-perfumed Mexican Hot Chocolate gelato, flavored with a kick of cayenne.  Delicious!  But I wanted to go for the shop's slam-dunk signature flavor.

Goat cheese.  Cashew.  Caramel.

No, they would not normally gel into something incredible.  But when you slap 'em together into a creamy Italian-style confection, they get along nicely.

The best way I can describe the undertones of this gelato is funky.  You know, that savory, sour, almost stinky flavor that makes a good cheese awesome.  And it's a flavor that makes a gelato fascinating.  Along with the sweet, flavorful caramel and the salty, rich cashews, this may be my ideal flavor.  But if you don't like goat cheese, please don't order this gelato.  Or at least taste it first, lest you do something irrational.

The cool thing about Black Dog is the fact that you can mix and match your gelatos (actually gelati, but who's keeping track?).  A small is two scoops, and those two scoops can be a combination of any pair of flavors you feel like!  Want watermelon sorbet and mint chocolatey chip?  They'll mix that.  Apple pie and malted vanilla?  Oh, yes.  Whatever you want.

In short, Black Dog is amazing.  Check it out, go crazy sampling stuff, and just pretend it has no calories.  When it tastes that good, who really cares?

Peace, Love, and Tasty Snacking!

~AF

For the Inimitable Julia, With Love, On Her 100th

Yes, I am eighteen.  But I understand the impact that the late great Julia Child has made on food and cooking in general in the U.S.  I watched her show after each Arthur show concluded, and I have to say, I loved her energy.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a food person who doesn't immediately think of Julia when anyone references the "Chicken Show" (a personal favorite of mine).  And I can't refer to Boef Bourguignon without exclaiming it in Julia's jubilant tone.  Not that I refer to it frequently...usually just when someone mentions Julia.

Things I remember about Julia are just brief snippets, segments from her PBS programs that I watched when I was six.  Learning to make bagels.  Eating avocados with Rick Bayless.  Donning a fireman's helmet and wielding a fire extinguisher at the prospect of good friend and co-host Jacques Pepin flambeing something (it may have been Crepes Suzette).  She had a real enthusiasm when in the kitchen, and it was obviously infectious.  No chef seemed to leave her kitchen without first having a thoroughly good time.

She taught people to get excited about food.  I'm not really sure if the episode with Rick Bayless was actually the first time she ate an avocado.  If it wasn't, she made it seem like it was, sharing her new discoveries about the food with her viewer and her guest.

She made people laugh.  I don't even know if she actually intended to.  Certainly, wearing a fire hat and preparing to extinguish Jacques's crepes was a planned moment of hilarity, and sitting various raw chickens cross-legged (cross-drumsticked?) couldn't have been planned without some chuckling among the production crew.  But her infectious passion led to a cooking show that not only pioneered in its field, but also made the viewers smile.  That voice?  When I hear Julia's name, that's all I can think of.

Julia was more than just a culinary and television pioneer.  She was a woman bold enough to enroll in a high-level class of all men at Le Cordon Bleu.  She made French food "cool," and started her whole culinary journey when she was in her thirties, not slowing down until she was in her eighties.

She was the reason I wanted omelets for breakfast when I stayed overnight at my aunt's house.  And her show is what opened the door for essentially every other cooking show that has aired on American television since.  Without her, there would be no "celebrity chef," no Food Network, and no real knowledge of French cuisine among purported foodies.

For these things I thank her.  She was a woman who took food very seriously, but could also find it in her to laugh at herself.  She never seemed to stop looking for new foods to fuel her passion for food.  And she, in a way, inspired me to love food, cooking, and cooking shows.

I know I cried when I found out she'd passed on.  It just never seemed possible that she could stop living, eating, and enjoying life.  But when you think about it, until her death, she never did.

Her birthday isn't over quite yet in my timezone.  I raise my glass to you, Julia.  You truly were, are, and always will be, the best.

Bon Appetit, Julia.  And Bon Anniversaire.

~AF.

Catching Up On a Cultural Phenomenon...Sort Of

Well, readers, I've done it.  I ate my first Big Mac today.  It bothered my stomach, by the way, so I won't rush to purchase another from the Golden Arches.  However, I did find it tasty in its own fast-foody sort of way.

I like the pickles (although I would have liked a couple more on my sandwich), and the Special Sauce was tasty.  Luckily for me, since I'm not crazy about raw onion, the onion portion of my burger didn't come through too strong.  And I love me a sesame seed bun!

But it was all just too much!  Two patties?  That awkward third sort-of-bun between the patties?  Enough saucy shredded iceberg to make the whole concoction slide around like a stack of CD's during an earthquake?  The fact that it cooled down alarmingly fast once I opened the box?  No, no, no, no... That just won't do.

Now, I think I'd like to be somewhat of a Fast-Foodie...and make my own version one of these days.  One patty, made of fresh 80/20 chuck, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried minced onion, and Worcestershire sauce, and grilled to perfection.  One bun, top and bottom (no awkward additional carbohydrate as architecture here, no, siree!).  A little bit of Vidalia onion, or maybe some thinly sliced shallot or scallion.  Good garlic dill pickles, and lots of them!  Snarlingly sharp cheddar cheese!  A more interesting lettuce than iceberg!  I just can't wait.

As for that special sauce?  My version will have a blend of high-fructose-corn-syrup-free ketchup (found at grocery stores, more tomatoey than its super-sweetened counterpart), yellow mustard, light mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, black pepper, and a heavy dash of paprika.

Inspiration?  Yeah, I'm loving it, alright.  I'll report back when I finish my experiment.

Until then,

~AF

Antico Strikes Again! Hard-to-Twirl Noodles at My Fave Spot

Antico Posto is my ab-fab favorite way to start the weekend! (Can you tell by my jubilant punctuation?)  Nothing like carbs served with carbs served with garlic and olive oil!  And here we go...

Pappardelle with Fennel Sausage, Goat Cheese, and Tomatoes

My mom and I had the lunch special, Pappardelle with Fennel Sausage.  Fresh pasta in a tomato sauce, tossed together with crumbles of house-made Italian fennel sausage and topped with piquant fresh goat cheese and a pretty chiffonade of basil.  Can I get a "Whoop, whoop?"  As rich as goat cheese is, it actually felt like the one ingredient that lightened up the dish.  All the rich, earthy flavors--the tomatoes and the sausage--needed something sharp and acidic to perk them up.  The dish was so well-balanced in its flavor profile.  I took half home, but it's already gone.  I had it for dinner.

I love pappardelle.  However, that being said, pappardelle is very, very, very difficult to eat gracefully.  For those of you who don't know what pappardelle is, think fettucine...on steroids.  It's about halfway between a fettucine noodle and an un-ruffly lasagna noodle.  This is the sort of pasta that stands up well to something super meaty and hearty.  Thus, it was the perfect pasta pairing with the crumbled sausage.

But the size (nay, the girth!) of the noodles requires you to A) be able to do origami to fit an entire noodle into your mouth or B) cut your noodles into bite-size pieces.  Good luck trying to twirl these babies!  It will not work, especially with the thickness of the noodles at Antico.  Any thicker and they could be considered boiled flatbread; any thinner and they'd break when tossed with the sauce.

But from what I think could be considered an engineering standpoint (bear with me...I know it's a stretch), Antico's pappardelle are the perfect size.  And although it absolutely kills me to cut my pasta, it's worth it.  Especially since it keeps me from getting tomato sauce behind my ears.  That would not be classy.

Unfortunately, we skipped dessert today.  But next time, I shall have my Panna Cotta with brandied cherries.  It is so good.  But you knew that already.

Peace and Love From a Noodle-Cutting Classy Lady,

~AF

Apples, Brie, and Belly on a Burger...Why I Wasn't Quite Wowed

I never thought I would say this.  I tried pork belly today.  And it didn't impress me.  In fact, I didn't really like it.

I know!  It's so wrong.  But you need to understand a little something.  Well a lot of something.  Let me give you the back story.

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a foodie felt like crying when she tried to eat her meal...

Hah!  I really had you going there for a moment didn't I?  To be honest, my pork belly experience wasn't all bad.  We were at one of my favorite local, suburban biker bars (yes, dearies, a biker bar), a place in Naperville called Jimmy's.  We'd just finished our crunchy, beer-battered onion rings (they're not listed on the menu anymore, for whatever reason...just ask for them. They are so good).

I looked at the menu, and for the first time, I saw a burger called the Marie Antoinette.  You have to understand, I've had burgers at Jimmy's before.  So many are awesome.  Sturdily built and bursting with flavor, each burger has to be served with a dagger in it to keep it from toppling over (by dagger, I mean a steak knife used like a toothpick.  Just as useful, only far more intimidating).  They used to have a bourbon burger with sauteed mushrooms.  Their Blue Horse is topped with horseradish, pungent bleu cheese, and onion straws.  And my dad ate their monthly special, a Guacamole Bacon burger with a real kick.

The Marie Antoinette, in all her glory, with fries and a pickle on the side.

But enough about that.  Back to my meal.  The Marie is comprised of a hefty beef burger, served on a hearty-yet-pillowy bun (one that won't break your teeth, but that also won't disintegrate when you put a sopping, freshly-made burger on it) and topped with rich, buttery brie cheese (love!), incredibly flavorful caramelized apple slices (delightful!), and...mushy pork belly (wah-wah).

Maybe my lack of pork belly experience led to my dislike, but from what I understand, a good belly preparation renders out the copious amounts of fat that the cut of meat contains, and leaves the slab with a delectable seared crust on the outside. 

The belly on the Marie (I've just realized how strange that sounds...but bear with me) was cut like thick-cut bacon.  It was fatty...like, really fatty; you could probably take a butter knife and spread it across the bun like mayonnaise.  There may have been a little sear around the perimeter of the meat at one time, but being sandwiched between a hot, juicy burger and moist, buttery brie likely zapped any crust that the pork had.  What little meat I could dig out from amongst the fat (it really felt like spelunking. No joke) was soft and lovely, but the need to dig so much just made it a little disappointing.

I wanted my pork belly crisp!  I wanted it seared!  Maybe I really just wanted bacon instead...when you think about it, that's really all pork belly is.  Bacon is smoked, cured pork belly.  They are just about  one and the same.  And bacon would add a textural element that the burger was just dying for.  Soft apples, soft cheese, soft burger, soft pork...see anything missing?  I need crunch!  Don't deny me that, Jimmy!

A pork belly confit seared in a hot pan until golden and glorious might be a little much to ask for a biker burger bar.  But in my defense, they're the ones who decided to tackle the fancy-schmancy food.  And they didn't do too bad.  The only thing that went downhill on this burger was the meat garnish.  I know for next time to ask for a little meat candy (that being bacon...get with it, kids!) instead of the belly.

Maybe someday I'll embrace the pork belly...just not today, and not soggy on a burger.  I do not like it, Sam I Am.

~AF

Pasta Salad and Mini Meatloaves: Just Another Foodie Saturday

Readers!  The Foodie has the materials she needs to make amazing food!  We got eggs, and ground beef, and orzo pasta, and...okay, I'll calm down.

But seriously.  Having ingredients to cook with makes a huge difference in the Amateur Foodie kitchen. 

Lunch today was another Greek-inspired dish, this time an orzo salad.  I prepped a vinaigrette dressing with red wine vinegar, minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, plus a dash of dried oregano.  The oh-so-essential accoutrements portion of the dish included sliced pepperoncini that I chopped up even smaller (leave them as-is and they take over the whole dish!), quartered black olives (nothing special...I would've liked some nice vinegary Kalamata olives, but I worked with what we had), meticulously chopped cherry tomatoes (lose the seeds and the jelly-like medium they're suspended in, and you lose a great emulsifying agent! Plus, you don't want to crush those little babies), cucumber diced up teeny-tiny (seeds removed, of course), and feta cheese.

My best piece of advice is to put the hot pasta into the dressing and toss.  This keeps the starches in the orzo from making your pretty salad into a bowl of pasta clumps and veggies.  Then chill, baby, chill!  You cannot.  I repeat, you cannot put crisp, delicious fresh veggies into hot pasta and expect them to remain crisp and delicious.  Think I'm wrong?  Try it.  Be disappointed.  But don't say I didn't warn you.

Unfortunately, there is no photo of the pasta.  Put it this way, I didn't make a lot of it, and my mom and I really liked it.  Really.

Our second topic of discussion this evening is meatloaf.  Calm yourselves!  I call myself a foodie, yet I'm preparing stuff like meatloaf?  Yes.  Yes I am.

Because, truth be told, sometimes I just crave meatloaf.  It was never something we had on a regular basis, so I never got tired of it, and I never ate enough bad meatloaf to get on the bandwagon with the people who hate it.

Meatloaf can be really delicious if you have fresh ingredients and a good recipe.  Still too un-foodie-like for you?  Well, get ready.  I'm about to tell you what's up.

Mashed potatoes and a gloriously glazed mini meatloaf.  Notice the elegant white plate?  Mmhmm.  Fancy.

Mini.  Meatloaf.  Muffins.  Heck yes.  Something about making a big ol' meatloaf in a little muffin tin turns it into the most twee, foodie-like thing ever.  Yes, twee.  Cutesy.  Like Zooey Deschanel's outfits.  Or kittens with bows around their necks.  Meatloaf's never looked tastier.

Pick your favorite meatloaf recipe (if you don't have one already, find one, for crying out loud!).  Make it as you normally would, and divide the meat into lightly greased muffin tins (use cooking spray or olive oil...not butter and flour).  Cooking times can be dicey, so keep an eye on your mini loaves.

In my opinion, an important aspect of foodie-ness is an ability to adapt a recipe.  To make it better, obviously.  So here are some changes I made to my standard-issue meatloaf recipe (from that plaid cookbook that pretty much everybody owns).

• Sauteed onions:  The recipe just says to add a quarter cup of chopped onion, raw (raw?!?) to the meat mixture.  From past experience, the onion just ends up with a weird consistency.  It's not done enough for me, so before I assembled the mix, I sauteed my onion in some canola oil over low heat until it was slightly golden (and certainly no longer raw.  Nothing ruins a velvety, soft meatloaf like biting into a big chunk of onion).  Be sure to cool it thoroughly before adding it to the meat!
• Italian breadcrumbs:  The recipe calls for plain, dry breadcrumbs.  We only had panko or Italian-seasoned, and the last time I used panko in a meatloaf recipe, it was just strange.  Italian crumbs it was, then.  And, might I add, they were delicious.  That little bit of herbage offers another dimension of flavor that does just enough to help the meatloaf without being overpowering.
• Muffin tins!  There are no instructions for making meatloaf muffins in my cookbook.  Quite the oversight, I think.  The cook time for a free-form 9-inch diameter patty was 50 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit.  So I cooked the muffins for 30 minutes at 350.  Then I unmolded them.  Then they went back in for ten minutes.  Then, since my mother wasn't home yet, they went into the fridge.  Just before serving, I heated them at 350 for ten minutes without glaze, plus another ten with glaze.  You may need to play around with your cook time.  Less is more, unless your beef is still bloody in the middle.  Please don't get sick.
• Gooey glaze:  The recipe said ketchup, brown sugar, and dry mustard!  I didn't listen!  I skipped the dry mustard, adding a squish of Dijon instead.  I used uber-molasses-y dark brown sugar in lieu of the more traditional light brown.  And I added a healthy shot of Worcestershire sauce.  (I can't eat a beef dish that doesn't contain Worcestershire.  Don't ask why.  It's just good.)  And it was the best meatloaf glaze I've ever had.  It was like candy.  Only with Worcestershire sauce.

I served my mini meatloaf muffins with sour-cream-and-garlic mashed russet potatoes.  I steeped rosemary in the cooking water, and poached a garlic clove with the potatoes.  Not only did poaching make the garlic super easy to peel, it mellowed the flavor and made it easy to smash it into a paste (which mixed oh-so-nicely with my 'taters).  Tasty?  Indeed.

Embrace the Meatloaf!

~AF

No-Frills Java in Long Grove

I cannot tell a lie.  I like a grande Macchiato with skim milk on occasion.  Me and Starbucks?  We're pretty cool with each other.  I buy its beverages, it gives me a caffeine boost.  But once in a while, a change is nice.

Was coffee cool before Starbucks?  I mean, how did people take their caffeinated beverages before they could get a Venti double-shot, no-whip frappa-cappa-thingy?  Just coffee?  Just espresso?  Bah!  As if.

Believe it or not, there was a time before "good coffee" and "$5 coffee" were synonymous.  And the baristas weren't called baristas.  And everyone lived happily.

Places like Beans & Leaves in Long Grove, Illinois, are growing more and more rare.  All we wanted was a cold drink.  The tavern down the street was out as an option (none of us felt like purchasing a brew), and Long Grove tends to discourage the intrusion of the chain restaurant (or coffee shop, or anything for that matter), so there was no Starbucks to patronize (no Starbucks?  Oh, the humanity!).

Quite frankly, we stumbled upon Beans & Leaves after learning (much to our disappointment) that long-time Long Grove business Apple Haus was out of business (and, as such, we were unable to enjoy some cold cider and donuts).

It seemed like we stood there, looking around aimlessly, for an age before we spotted the coffee shop.  We later learned that it's been in business for eight years.  It's a little tough to see, nestled in between the Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe and what will soon be the former Red Oak Furniture Gallery.

We walked in to find a shop that was essentially silent, and empty.  The barista, if you will (she is not a barista, by the way.  Just thought I'd put it in language that people could understand), was straightening up some of the coffee shop kitsch that makes this place way more fun to be in than a Starbucks.

The "Tea Room" at Beans & Leaves in Long Grove, IL.

A row of local musicians' photos adorns the front wall of the shop, and an acoustic guitar in the designated "Tea Room" bears the signatures of many, likely people who have played their coffeehouse gigs at Beans & Leaves.  There are innumerable tin signs on and around the counter, with coffee-related phrases, beckoning, imploring the errant visitor to sit down and have a cup.

Ordering is casual.  No frenetic java-shop shorthand here.  If you would like a medium-sized latte with skim milk, then you say it.  To quote the nice lady who made me my drink, "This is not Starbucks.  Don't talk to me in Starbucks lingo."  For the record, I didn't.  This was part of a conversation we were having long after we received our lattes.  I digress.

My iced latte (front), and my sister's Arnold Palmer (back).

When you order, your coffee is made in front of you.  The espresso for my iced latte was brewed before my eyes and dumped into a cup of ice and milk (skim or 2%), then the lid was put on and it was handed to me.  And then I paid.  And then I relaxed.

There are no couches, no bar stools.  Just some rickety-looking tables and metal-framed chairs like you'd find in an old ice cream shop.  There are store-copy books to peruse while you sip, titles by Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton, and James A. Michener.


It was quiet when we went there.  We were the only ones in the shop for most of the time we were there.  This presented us with an opportunity rarely encountered at a chain coffee shop.  We had a conversation with the person that served us coffee.  Shocking, I know, but it turns out the people that work at little shops like this can be far more personable (and far less preoccupied) than those at the chains.  And we learned an awful lot.

As it turns out, the store in which Beans & Leaves is situated was the site of the first Gloria Jean's coffee shop.  It had been one coffee shop or another for about 30 years, and it had been Beans & Leaves for the past eight.

The coffee is no-nonsense.  The atmosphere is no-frills.  And the two-dollar cookies are actually worth the two dollars you pay for them (I'd recommend the oatmeal butterscotch).  And though the coffee isn't too much less expensive than its chain-coffee counterparts, it's worth every cent to me if it means supporting a small business in a town where far too many small businesses are being forced to close.

In the words of our personable coffeemaker, "Come here, I'll make you a decent cup of coffee."

Decent is being modest.

~AF

Bargain Hunting with the Foodie

Bargain hunting is hardly something I would generally encourage for the hard-core foodie.  But there are places one can acquire foodie-worthy items at deeply discounted prices.

Discounted foodie-worthy food?!?  I know.  You're thinking, 'Arrabiata that expired a month ago?'...Maybe at some places.  But many stores (the one I'm thinking of rhymes with "Rome Woods"...you with me?) sell overstock food items, many gourmet, and for the most part, not expired. 

Note!  Label reading is a great skill to acquire, just saying.  If it expired before last Christmas, you should be able to tell from the label.  If it doesn't have a listed expiration date, put it back!  I don't care if it's your favorite horseradish mustard!  Put it back now!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.  I digress.

While perusing the aisles at the above referenced retailer, I have encountered such things as jarred Arrabiata sauce that looked ah-mazing, along with blocks of pink Himalayan salt (known by the foodie set to be pretty awesome) sold with a microplane to grate it with.  I've seen smoked sea salt and French mustards, dry pasta, and the one item that I didn't find, but rather got to taste when my mother brought it home, Scottish jam.

Now, you're probably a little curious.  This imported Scottish jam is usually sold for around $8.  My mom bought it for less than $4.  It's raspberry, in all its seed-filled glory, and it doesn't expire until...wait for it...wait for it...next year!

Being of Scottish descent, I was naturally happy to see such a product (without even tasting it or having prior knowledge of the Scots' jam-making prowess...turns out they're pretty awesome at it).  And when she told me where she got it, I was shocked!  Now whenever we go to [aforementioned retailer], I scour the food aisles for great deals on peppercorns, jams, and mustards (just a few of my favorite cooking items; I'm partial to the French mustards, in case anyone was wondering).

Look for a [aforementioned retailer] location near you.  You have nothing to lose!  And hey, you might also find a nice lamp while you're there (yes, they sell those too).

Peace, Love, and Fabulous Eating Cooking,

~AF

AF on the Tweety! Check Out My Handle

Reader, darlings, your very own Amateur Foodie has joined the 21st century and is tweeting!  Yes, like a little birdie, I have been chattering it up on the web.  And guess what? The uber-cool Rick Bayless answered one of my tweets!

For up-to-the-minute news about when the posts are hitting the page, check me out at @KaitlynKesler1 on Twitter!  Retweets are always appreciated, as well as feedback on places I've mentioned.

Thank you, lovies, and as always, Peace, Love, and Fabulous Eating!

~AF

Putting My Must-Haves to Work: Pepperoncini Peppers

Okay, I said I'd try to help you out.  I gave you a list of essentials, and then I didn't follow through and tell you what to do with them!

Pepperoncini peppers look like a wild card on the list.  What are you supposed to do with a spicy pickled condiment?  Actually, you can do a lot.  My suggestion today is just one example of the many possible uses of this tasty ingredient.

If you're someone who likes tuna salad sandwiches like I do, then you're gonna love this quick tip.  Use the peppers, along with some Romaine lettuce and Greek feta cheese to perk up a classic.  Instead of doing the traditional tuna, mayo, and pickle relish version of tuna salad, leave out the pickles.  Just drain the tuna really well (the peppers will add liquid back in, and we're not making tuna soup sandwiches here), then mix in just enough mayonnaise to sort of bind the tuna together.  After adding just a pinch of salt and a twist of cracked pepper, you're ready to assemble.

I always toast my bread for any sort of meat salad sandwich, whether it be crab salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad.  The bread du jour in our house this weekend was English muffins.  They actually go surprisingly well with the tuna and peppers.  I too was shocked.  You can really use any bread you like, but I prefer something a little more adventurous than just your standard white bread.  Whole grain and 12 grain bread are my favorites when I have them on hand, although a nice hearty sourdough or marble rye would also be really tasty.

So set up your bread, adding a couple leaves of romaine to the bottom piece (this keeps the underneath of your sammy from getting soggy).  Please don't chop up your lettuce.  It's not as good that way, and if your bread is still hot, it'll just wilt faster.  Top the bed of lettuce with a healthy scoop of tuna.  Then nestle a few slices of pepperoncini pepper in the tuna.  Sprinkle with crumbled feta, then finish by topping the sandwich with more lettuce and the top of the English muffin (or other slice of bread).

The spice from the pepper acts as a more flavorful and savory alternative to sweet relish, and the feta ties everything together and makes it feel a little like a Greek salad on a sandwich.  It's something to try.

You can use pepperoncinis just about anywhere you would otherwise use pickles.  And pairing them with ingredients like feta or Kalamata olives can turn something like a burger, chicken sandwich, or salad into a Greek-style treat.

Opa!

~AF