It's been like 2 weeks since my last Three Little Pigs. Cravings have begun.
On the table: The Silver Palm
Filed under on the table
Guest blog spot: The Bar on Buena
When my friend, fellow foodie, and blogger Jeff Kitler guessed the Naha mystery trees correctly I was happy for two reasons. First, because he tipped me off to a great “not-known-for” at Naha, fried calamari. The second because his guest post is on a bar/restaurant in Bueno Park, a ‘hood I have hardly explored. I am very intrigued by beer that flows out of a faucet, tequila-marinated steak tacos and a Big Sandwich with pancetta and a fried egg. I give you a Bar. That’s on Buena.
Abbey Ale Leffe Blonde
“I love The Bar on Buena for many reasons. First, and probably least importantly, it has a great name. The Bar on Buena lends to an incredibly lame joke, one I use over and over again and never grow tired of: “Where are you going for dinner Jeff? The Bar on Buena. What bar? The Bar on Buena! Duh, it’s on Buena. Yes I understand, but what bar?” And on and on. But seriously, The BOB is a sparkling gem stuffed with delicious food and intriguing beer. Hidden between Wrigleyville’s sport bars and Uptown’s pho shops, The BOB fills a void in Buena Park for those seeking quality food and an outstanding beer list. The BOB’s closet-sized kitchen sits behind the bar and offers a surprisingly large lineup of serious pub grub that includes pulled pork sandwiches, tequila-marinated steak tacos and the killer (literally?) B.O.B Burger topped with Red Dragon Cheddar, pancetta and a fried egg. And let’s not forget the brew! With more than 100 beers available by the bottle and 19 poured from the “faucet,” the beer selection alone is enough to please the biggest brew snobs. And don’t worry, the friendly staff is more than happy to help select a brew for those without their in-the-know enthusiast. The BOB is a great neighborhood bar located on one of Chicago’s most adorable tree-lined streets. With summer arriving soon (we hope!) The BOB’s sidewalk café is sure to be packed! Give The BOB a try…you can’t not find it.” The Bar on Buena, 910 W. Buena Ave., 773.525.8665.
Pulled pork with Carolina-style sauce with Cheddar cheese on Texas toast with red onion relish and sweet potato fries
Filed under boozeworthy, guest blogger
The Boundary ceiling
The Boundary
Filed under boozeworthy, random spottings
Fried chicken at West Town Tavern
Fried chicken at West Town Tavern
Do Chicago neighborhood restaurants get more solid than West Town Tavern? I’ve never had a bad meal/glass of vino at the Chicago Avenue restaurant, but for as many times as I’ve been to the place (it’s both a go-to date and visiting parental dinner spot), I have never experienced chef Susan Goss’ famous fried chicken. For two years the restaurant has offered a fried chicken dinner exclusively on Monday nights, a plate of heavenly crispiness that I had only heard about until last night. I luh-huv fried chicken and aforementioned parental units unfortunately raised us on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken then baby!), but I’ve since redeemed my taste buds with Stanley’s version and even the awesome randomness that is Loncar Liquors (sadly pre-Elizabites), but West Town beats them all. A seasoned Miller’s Farm natural half-chicken arrives perfect tender and juicy, covered with a thick (but not mouth-scratching crispy) golden skin that doesn’t turn coat your fingers with grease. It’s all resting on a small pool of creamy wild mushroom gravy with thick mushrooms, just enough to get the robust yet creamy flavor but not overwhelming the plate. A scoop of ultra whipped garlic mashed potatoes sits next to a pile of sautéed Swiss chard. A soft and airy sweet buttermilk biscuit (Goss’ great-grandma’s recipe) is the icing on the cake, soft enough to melt in your mouth, but crispy enough of the outside to hold up to a good gravy-mopping, they were fantastic enough to deserve a permanent home in the bread basket. It sounds like it might all end up mixing together at the end, and it does to some degree, but in a good way. Like everything else at West Town Tavern, what’s on the plate is meant to be there, not too much or too little and just the right portion and texture balance.
There’s no question that pretty much everyone in the place (packed!) was also ordering up the fried chicken, and it’s no wonder Goss offers the delicacy one night a week (what better way to guarantee a full house on a Monday?). As for pairings, I think the chicken dinner could easily hold up to a sparkling white, but I went with the Gruner Veltliner with fruity and white pepper notes that tied everything together. By the end we felt full, but not full of super greasy fried chicken buckets of the past, so we found room to order a simple and fresh rhubarb and strawberry tart with vanilla ice cream (yum), as well as homemade brownie with two scoops of homemade ice cream of our choice (mint chocolate chip)..(double yum). West Town Tavern, 1329 W. Chicago Ave., 312.666.6175
Strawberry and rhubarb tart
Homemade fudge brownie with mint chocolate chip ice cream
Filed under great for date, I like to eats
On the table: Terzo Piano
Bright, beautiful room, wood-fire oven, terrific view, modern yet comfortable chairs, Italian-influenced lunch fare by Chef Tony Mantuano
Filed under great for date, new restaurants, on the table
Guest blog post: Amalie’s local fixes
Local writer/blogger Amalie Drury’s guest post takes the carb-overload into high-gear, but it was too mouth-watering not to post immediately after she sent it in. After correctly guessing a Mystery glitz post a couple months ago, she decided to highlight her top five fave fixes around town and even supplied pics of each! She had me at Brett’s fudge brownie and Zodiac popover rolls, and the rest of the treats I have yet to try.. deliciousness ensues below…
Dear Elizabites readers,
Many millennia ago, I was the winner of a guest blog entry on Elizabites. Finally, after stretching my #1 talent (procrastination) to astonishing limits of acceptability, I have produced the text.
I don’t know what took me so long. My chosen topic has been a passion since the days when my mother taught me that the best snack after a grueling Jazzercise class is a mixed mini dozen from My Favorite Muffin. The most essential item on any grocery list is a bag of (gourmet) chocolate chips. And if you’re going to all the trouble of making hot chocolate on a snowy afternoon, please, put away the Hershey’s. Bring on the Droste.
In my family, we are chocolate super-snobs. Cookie monsters. Sugar speed freaks. I was worried when I moved to Chicago eight years ago, as it’s a city known more for hunks of meat than delectable sweet treats. But when I realized there was a chocolate factory mere blocks from my office and I would be breathing cocoa powder as a way of life, I knew this really was my kind of town. And after a trillion calories’ worth of trial and error, I’ve nailed down a list of my favorite fixes (in no particular order):
Brett's Kitchen fudge brownie
1. Brownies from Brett’s Kitchen in River North. Available only on Fridays, they are tall, cakey and liberally iced, with a smattering of walnuts for intermittent crunch. Take one home in a white paper bag, microwave for 13 seconds, get out a fancy fork, and turn on a Gossip Girl rerun. Yummm. Yum.
Swirlz bittersweet chocolate
2. Bittersweet chocolate cupcakes from Swirlz in Lincoln Park. Moist chocolate cake, light-as-air chocolate buttercream frosting, and a few crispy tendrils sprinkled on top…they are, I assert, the best of the trendy cupcakes.
Zodiac Room popover roll
3. Popovers at The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus, Michigan Avenue. At this ladies-who-lunch spot, they know their crowd well. Forget crusty, mouth-scraping table bread. The Zodiac passes out hot popovers—light, flaky pastries that look like exploded muffins—with silky, spreadable strawberry butter on the side. You will ask for another. I guarantee it.
Sepia cookies (photo by Martha Williams)
4. Chocolate chip cookies at Sepia. There are specific qualities I require in a chocolate chip cookie, perhaps my favorite food on Earth. A certain not-too-weighty density, the perfect level of doneness, discernable hints of brown sugar and salt, slightly crisp edges, and chips that remain melty at all times. The pastry chef at Sepia only rolls hers out at lunchtime (call ahead to find out when), but They. Are. Freaking. Fantastic. Seriously, perfection.
Vosges caramel marshmallows
5. Vosges Haut-Chocolate caramel marshmallows. Vosges is a Chicago-based company helmed by the lovely Katrina Markoff, and their packaging alone is enough to induce bliss (purple satin bows!). The items in question—vanilla bean marshmallows topped with caramel, surrounded by dark chocolate and sprinkled with toffee—are impossible to resist. Luckily, at $27 for a box of nine, they are a once-in-a-while situation. Try them if you know what’s good for you.
If you ingest one of these things just because I said so, I hope it’s everything you hoped for and more. In fact, tell me about it sometime.
Extra-sweetly yours,
Amalie
Filed under guest blogger, thick
Aja Oreos
Aja Oreos and Traderspoint Creamery Milk
Filed under ..and more, Best bite, I like to eats, thick
On the table: Hub 51
4 napkin rolls, 4 glasses, salt. 51 W. Hubbard St., 312.828.0051
Filed under on the table
ELIZABITES 