Category Archives: quick lunch

March 3, 2009 · 12:05 am

Bread pudding at Tavern at the Park

Apple and blueberry bread pudding

It’s bread puddin’ weather. No doubt about it. It’s hard to resist a decadent bread puddin’ on the dessert menu when you’re dealing with like the 13th straight week of bitter cold. I happily warmed me bones recently with Tavern at the Park’s awesome warm blueberry apple bread pudding with fresh blueberries and lemon sauce, easily tackled with a knife and fork. And with three more weeks until the first “official” day of spring, better throw in their warm fudge brownie as well. Think freshly baked fudge brownies pulled right off the sheet pan and served up sundae-style—in other words, a great way to get you through the 10 weeks we really have until it’s warm. 108 E. Randolph St., 312.552.0070

Chocolate brownie

Bari foods

The Bari foods sign

My big (fat) Tuesday sandwich adventure was a solo one this week, but it all worked out because there aren’t any seats or tables in Bari foods anyway. What is hidden in the back of the neighborhood market stocked with pastas, sauces, produce, and more, is a no-frills deli counter where killer Italian sub sandwiches, meats, olives, cheeses and more are served up to locals in the know. Living so close to the place, you’d think I’d have plenty of favorites by now, but I’m pretty much stuck on the paper-thin prosciutto and fresh mozzarella sub with tomatoes, lettuce and tangy Italian herb seasonings on soft, fresh bread. Other Big Sandwich options include the meatball and the Italian sub with hot peppers..any other Bari bests? Bari foods, 1120 W. Grand Ave., 312.666.0730

Prosciutto and fresh mozzarella sub

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Filed under I like to eats, quick lunch

February 24, 2009 · 12:05 am

Water Street Brewery

Water Street sign

I so would’ve gotten the beer tasting flight at Water Street Brewery if I didn’t have to race back to Chicago on Sunday night by Oscar time. But I still enjoyed my dinner at the Milwaukee brewery and pub that’s been around for more than 20 years. While I continue to search for good restaurants in Milwaukee, I often end up at the pubs and breweries for decent bar food, great beer and a trip down memory lane of growing up in the “Brew.” While Water Street Brewery isn’t Milwaukee’s oldest brewery (it’s been home to Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz), the place does have a fair amount of impressive memora-beer-lia. Only those who grew up in Milwaukee will remember the Green Sheet section of the newspaper (think comics, crosswords, horoscopes, Dear Abby, guess-how-the-almost-identical-drawings-are different games all printed on green paper!). At Water Street, the Green Sheet design is cleverly resurrected as the menu, and I think any beer fanatic will appreciate the wall-to-wall collection of vintage beer cans and case filled with 1,400 ultra-cool beer tap handles. Oh, yeah, and the beer, from honey lager light to raspberry weiss and brown ale, is pretty fantastic too. Besides WSB, Milwaukee’s still got Lakefront, Sprecher and, of course, Miller breweries with tours, tastings and more, so you can easily get your Laverne and Shirley on and head up there for a brewery tour day trip. But don’t race home too fast, get your designated driver to stop for a steak at Coerper’s 5 O’clock Club (2416 W. State Street, 414.342.3553), vodka and oreo milkshakes at At Random (2501 S. Delaware, 414.481.8030) and finish the schlimaazely adventure here. Water Street Brewery, 1101 N. Water Street, 414.272.1195

The "Green Sheet" menu

Vintage brew

Timeless taps

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Filed under boozeworthy, eliz-a-trip, I like to eats, quick lunch, the MKE report

February 5, 2009 · 12:05 am

Big sandwiches at Farmerie 58

The Bistro Burger

The Big Sandwich Tuesday crew lived on the edge this week, and gathered on a Wednesday to take advantage of the surprisingly big sandwiches on Farmerie 58‘s lunch menu. They offer a pretty nifty lunch special of $18 for two courses, and you definitely won’t leave hungry with first course options like lobster bisque and a chopped salad. Second course options include two-fisters like a bistro burger with applewood-smoked bacon, Amish chicken sandwich and a salmon BLT with tarragon aïoli and red wine vinaigrette. I loved that the salmon sandwich came on toasted multi-grain, the fish was perfectly cooked and the aïoli added herby flavor and juiciness without the soggy. My companion, a Big Sandwich Tuesday veteran, tried to devour his bistro burger but only got half-way through. Our third companion went the route of wild boar pasta, a homey hearty mix of wild boar, Italian sausage, rapini, tomato, basil and pecorino. But he couldn’t keep his hands off the truffle frites that come with our sandwiches. At first glance they look like those crunchy, salty shoe string potatoes that just make you crave a classic wedge or waffle fry, but they are surprisingly good, crunchy only on the outside and soft inside with a hint of truffle oil essence. Farmerie’s lunch special is pretty decent, but I can’t say the same for the room. Granted, it was about 3-degrees outside, the space feels a little cold and sparse, with a lot of room for what doesn’t look like a lot of tables. I didn’t see it in its previous life as Republic Pan-Asian Restaurant, but I think I expected a more vibrant milieu. My dining companion referenced a random raw bar on the second floor, but we never ventured upstairs. Cold spaces aside, the truffle fries, pasta and big sandwiches warmed us up nonetheless. The dinner menu looks more striped bass and short rib ravioli than sandwiches, so I’ll definitely be back for what may be a totally different vibe at night. 58 E. Ontario, 312.440.1818.

Pan-roasted salmon BLT

Wild boar pasta

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Filed under new restaurants, quick lunch, thick

December 19, 2008 · 12:05 am

Brett’s Kitchen

When I worked in River North years ago, I used to hit up Brett’s Kitchen for oatmeal in the morning and come back a few hours later for a Mexican chicken pita with avocado for lunch. Now I only frequent this great, hidden-gem lunch spot when I’m running errands in the area or if it’s a Friday and they’ve just pulled their fudge brownies out of the oven. The place still gets packed around lunchtime, and the ordering/paying/pick up process is still more chaotic and confusing then it should be, (mostly due to the small space and 4-5 cooks multi-tasking like nobody’s business from two large grills). And luckily, the menu hasn’t changed either: The Mexican chicken pita completely rocks, and they whip up a mean hamburger, killer Ruebens, as well as a bevy of healthy vegetable sandwiches and salads as well as classic deli fare. They have interesting lunch specials like turkey burgers with mango-papaya salad, some of the best French fries in town and a $4 grilled cheese sandwich. There are a few small tables with pretty quick turnover, so just eye one down until you score it. And grab one of their breads, massive cookies or said brownies on the way out. For a quick, not-so-greasy lunch spot, I think the menu variety and prices are Brett’s some of the best in the city, regardless of a couple chalkboard typos (can anyone spot ’em below?). Brett’s Kitchen 233 W. Superior St., 312.664.6354