Delicious 'Ish I've Eaten Lately

So in lieu of a full post, I'm taking a few minutes during the commercial break for Fashion Police to post a few pics of the good food I've eaten lately. Enjoy!! :-)

Thursdays only - $1 quarter pound burgers at Crossroads Bar and Grill on Clark. I know what you're thinking, for $1 that burger CAN'T be any good. But it actually is! It's a bit on the smaller side, but the burger is juicy, flavorful, and THICK (I hate super flat patties).  They do up-charge you for cheese, fries, veggies, etc (they're all $1 more), but I was able to get a burger, fries, Summer Shandy on draft, AND a vodka cranberry all for $6!  Can't beat that!

Chicken sausage, sauerkraut, and potato salad at Maifest, an annual German festival in Lincoln Square. There was beer, there was polka.... 

                                         
                                                  ....and men dressed in amusing clothing!

And finally, banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery.  This bakery was originated and made famous in New York City, and was opened on Block 37 in the Loop in October 2011.  Now I've eaten a lot of banana pudding, but THIS banana pudding is creamy, with the perfect balance of banana and sweetness. Hmph!!!

$5 Martinis.....and they don't skimp on the vodka either!

Location: Downtown Chicago

Time: Friday April 27, 2012 5:01 p.m.

Task: Locate bar serving cheap but delicious drinks, and then drink them.

After a rather stressful work week, my girlfriends and I were in agreement on one basic thing: we needed alcohol, in moderate to high quantities, and we needed it at the earliest possible moment after the clock struck 5 pm.  This got me thinking about all of the places within walking distance from the Merchandise Mart, and then I remembered! There was a place on Wells that I had visited before (with an ex-boyfriend who shall-not-be-named) and they had excellent martinis for only $5!

Said place is The Crepe Bistro & Martini Bar at 186 North Wells, and it has the perfect collection of martinis, ranging from the deliciously sweet to those of the stronger variety (think vodka with a splash of olive juice, yuck!!), and they're all priced for those who are monetarily challenged like myself.  The Bistro also has a fully stocked bar if you aren't in the mood for vodka. The ambience is super cute, with a fat, amiable man playing an accordion on a stool (just beware of the suspicious urn-looking vases that are on the wall next to a picture of a man who looks long-dead...... they might hold his ashes :-/).

My first drink of the evening, the Pomegranate Martini. Good, but not my fave... it was a little too sweet, and drink was "heavy" on the tongue.

Joy and Jessica both sipping the French Martini (vodka, pineapple juice and amaretto - THIS was my fave! Not too sweet, not too syrupy, just the perfect balance of juice and vodka....yummm.)

Monique looking cute with her Peach Martini.

 Audrey on a mission: girlfriend was serious and ordered vodka with olives as soon as we sat down!

And Brian, looking giddy over his "incredibly-rugged" Appletini. Don't worry Brian, we're not judging you. Men can drink Appletinis too :-)

"Let Me Bite That...."

Over the course of this weekend, I have probably eaten my weight in pork. And fried chicken.  But I figured it was a fitting end to a week that consisted of oxtail soup being consumed at each mealtime (I'm talking breakfast, lunch, AND dinner here folks.....it was THAT damn good). I will do better, in fact, I've already started to do better - I had a whole wheat muffin for breakfast today (made them last night, I knew if I didn't I'd wake up begging my boyfriend to take me to a fattening brunch), and for lunch sauteed spinach and roasted garlic cauliflower.

But I didn't sit down at this computer to talk about spinach and cauliflower (even though it was satisfyingly delish).  This weekend my mom came out to visit, and when she comes to visit that's when I really get some good restaurant time in because #1 Like me, my mom loves food and, #2 She pays!!! Ha!

We went to Isla Pilipina on Friday night, which is in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on Lawrence Avenue.  Isla is a really tiny joint (so if you ever visit be prepared to wait), and the place is packed on the weekends, but the food makes up for the close quarters.  The last time we went, we saw this being delivered to the table next to us:

Deep fried pork belly appetizer

My first impulse was to walk to the table and politely ask them to "let me bite that", but I didn't see that going over well. Instead I waited, and we ordered it Friday! It was, I must say, everything I hoped and dreamed it would be.  It wasn't as rich and dauntingly huge as the deep fried pork knuckle (got a pic of that below), but was the perfect mix of crunchy, crispy pork skin and moist meat.  It was divine.  My mom wasn't a huge fan of it because she thought it was still a bit too pork-y (how can you complain that pork belly is too PORKY???), but I took care of what she didn't eat! It even came with a cute little tomato garnish (I ate that too lol).

I love this restaurant, and although I can't go as often as I like (I'd be too tempted to order deep fried pork and calamari with every visit), it's on my list of favorite restaurants.  Oh, and I forgot to mention, it's BYOB! Another reason to love this place :-)

Other things I love at Isla: lumpia (deep fried mini eggrolls), calamari, crispy fried chicken (some of the best fried chicken I've ever had, no joke!), and pork bbq skewers. 

Deep fried pork knuckle after my mom and I did our damage!

Until next time darlings!

~Z

Just in case you get a hankering for oxtail soup, here's the recipe I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rich-beef-barley-soup-recipe/index.html

While watching the Food Network....

While inadvertently watching Paula Deen's show (I say inadvertently because I've been boycotting her since it came out that she's had diabetes for the last 3 years), she says "I'm going to add a stick of butter to this, with no apology."

Seriously Paula? At this point I'm just disgusted. And that's saying a lot for someone like me!

Ok, I'm done for real this time. Later folks!


P.S. I love Anthony Bourdain...

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/anthony-bourdain-paula-deen-is-greedy-201294

Welcome to the World of a Porker

Hello all!  This is officially my first posting on a blog that I've been meaning to write for the last 6 months......one that's about food, wine, beer, and whatever else that crosses my mind.  In the off chance that someone is actually going to read this (seriously, my biggest fear is that my only readers will be my mother and my boyfriend), I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself. I'm a 26 year old professional, with a Bachelor's in English (no I'm not a teacher, nor have I ever wanted to be).  My hobbies, now that I seriously consider it, are actually eating, drinking wine and beer, cooking, and talking about eating, drinking wine and beer, and cooking. Lol.

I don't want to make this first entry too lengthy. And until I get some more cash (come on payday!) I won't be going anywhere particularly interesting, or interesting enough to share with you guys.  So in the meantime, I will list below the food/drink items that are my April favorites!


April Favorites:

1. Apothic Red Wine

 Apothic Red Wine, which is a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, and Merlot.  Seriously, this is one of the best-tasting inexpensive reds, especially if you're someone who is just entering the world of red wines. Plenty of people find reds to be daunting, but this blend is the perfect combo of slightly sweet and earthy flavors. In fact, I'm now considering making a liquor store run....good thing there's one right downstairs from my apartment :-)


2. The Swine



Yes, that is a picture of a pig. And yes, I am aware that you are probably judging me right now and calling me a fat ass.  But I've had too many delicious encounters with this creature in just this month alone to leave it out! From the pork-belly burger at the Burger Bar, to the deep fried pork knuckle at Isla Pilipina, and the pork belly in kuromitsu sauce at Sushi Samba Rio.....mmmm!!!! I mean damn! But don't you worry, I will definitely be returning to those spots soon so I can give you graphic, porky pics and mouth-watering descriptions. :-)



3.  The Hunger Games Series

Well, I WAS an English major - I had to include my literary faves as well!


Until next time lovelies! Happy eating :-)