Remember this place? Ethel’s Chocolate spread their pink, brown and white striped lounges all over the city like wildfire a couple of years ago, leaving awesome truffles like P,B & J, Key lime, and Mojito in their indulgent wake. Being obsessed with all things pumpkin, I recently discovered the seasonal pumpkin pie truffle available now as a part of their annual holiday collection. White chocolate on the outside and a spicy pumpkin truffle filling, it tastes just like the real thing. With the signature Ethel’s design, curvy shape and fun font, you might want to display these at first, and then make like real holiday dinner and devour them with the rest of the flavors in the limited collection; cranberry, egg nog, pecan pie, orange spice and gingerbread (16 pieces for $25; 24 for $35).
Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge
Filed under ..and more, I like to eats
On the table: Hot Doug’s
Napkin dispenser, salt and pepper, ketchup bottle. 3324 N. California Ave., 773.279.9550
Filed under hot dog hunt, on the table
Rice Pudding at Mado
I’ve already done a post on Mado, but felt the need to reiterate my love for this awesome Bucktown restaurant, and their vanilla bean rice pudding with raisin sauce. I guess the rice pudding is a staple on their brunch menu, but it’s also on the dessert menu, is highly addictive and perfect for this godforsaken weather. I got to enjoy the delicious dessert over the weekend and am thinking a Chicago-version of the New York City-based Rice to Riches rice pudding take-out shop would do just fine in my neighborhood. But for now, I’ll just keep making my way to Mado. Mado, 1647 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773.342.2340.
Filed under ..and more, I like to eats
Richard’s Bar snacks
OK, don’t get me started on the grammatical errors all over this sign, but I’ve always wondered about the hard-boiled eggs sold at Richard’s Bar at Grand and Milwaukee. I pretty much only end up here if I’m waiting for my table at neighboring La Scarola, but it’s an awesome Sinatra-themed dive bar where someone is always dancing in front of the juke box, there’s a “rooms for rent” sign behind the bar, and another sign above the pay phone that says “keep calls to 10 minutes” (if only that was a cell phone rule). Even with the smoking ban, decades of cigarette and cigar smoke seem soaked in just about everything throughout the tiny woooden space, which pretty much kills any craving for a hard-boiled egg. But I’ll take them up on the cheap beer specials. Richard’s Bar 491 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312.733.2251
Filed under boozeworthy
Cake Wrecks
Ack…I promised an ice box cake recipe this week (see pic on above box) and failed. Soon. In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite blogs on the art of the cake wreck. These cakes are in no way a reflection of how my ice box cake turned out, but I’m thinking of submitting a photo of the ridiculous cake my parents bought for their Yorkshire Terrier’s birthday last weekend. Oy. I keed not.
Filed under ..and more, recipes
You Maki Me Crazy
Last year, I gave my friend Graham Kostic a wind-up salmon nigiri as a secret Santa gift. Something propelled him to take the toy to an actual sushi restaurant in hopes of freaking out the server and giving new meaning to the words live kill. I, unfortunately, wasn’t invited to the sushi spectacle, but he made a video of the ordeal, and has since added music, laugh tracks and a story line. It’s pretty fine editing work, not to mention f’ing hilarious. If you want to delve deeper into Kostic’s creative, albeit twisted, mind, visit his blog, D. Graham Kostic [Lives].
Filed under ..and more, fail-safe sushi, random spottings
On the table: Francesca’s Forno
Four water glasses, two stacks of small plates, one bottle olive oil, four napkin rolls, salt and pepper. 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773.770.0184
Filed under on the table
ELIZABITES 