Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Caution, It's Hot!

Okay, I would like to start this post off saying that I'm pretty sure this is the longest dining adventure I have experienced. And because it was my longest dining adventure, with pictures alone, I'm sure this is my longest post of the year.  Now back to the food of the matter.  Geja's Cafe (http://www.gejascafe.com/) is located in the Lincoln Park area and is marketed as a romantic food destination.  But it is also good for groups and sharing, but upon walking into the downstairs venue the romantic vibe is quite obvious with the dim lighting and ballad singing, guitar player.  The first time we arrived on a Tuesday evening, there were only three of us, so I didn't think reservations would be needed to get a table in the middle of the week.  I was wrong.  If you do decide to take this trip, please do make a reservation first or you will be turned away as we were.  While there I decided to make a reservation for the next week, as the smell of the food had us quite hooked and excited to try this place.

So we eagerly reconvened one week later, ready to indulge ourselves in fondue.  This was my first time at a fondue restaurant, and the groupon that I had purchases several months prior that was about to expire is what prompted me to finally try this restaurant.  As a disclaimer, I must note the prices are on the expensive side.  For a full dinner, listed as the premier dinner, one can end up paying just over 30 to just over $50 depending on the choice of meat (or non-meat selection of tofu & fresh vegetables.  The premier dinners start off with a  first course of salad and fruit & bread with a cheese fondue, a  choice of meats for your second course, and finishes with a flaming chocolate fondue accompanied by marshmallows, little pieces of cake, and more fruit.  But you can also order separate fondue pots, without the dinners, which are much cheaper.  

Okay, now to the reason why one can spend hours dining on one meal..you have to cook your own meat.  Yes, this confused me at first, too.  But there is a pot of heating oil (or pots for larger tables) at your table in which you will cook the raw meat and veggies that are served on a platter as part of your second course.  The meats range from cooking times of 1 minute (for the lobster, scallops, broccoli) to 3 minutes (for chicken and potatoes).

Overall, I enjoyed my experience here, but it did begin to lag towards the end.  As in after about 15 minutes of cooking my own food I begin to wish that there was a chef that would just do the cooking for me.  Call me lazy but if I'm going to pay that much for food, I'd rather someone else do the heavy lifting (i.e. cooking).  This would definitely veer on the special occasion side of dining choices.  But I could also see how it could be a good place for a first date, as almost setting yourself on fire and dropping pieces of meat into the boiling oil unable to get it out could be great conversation starters for those who've run out of things to discuss.  All in all it was a pretty good first fondue experience, the closing act was more than enough to keep us coming back.  The flaming marshmallows was definite a favorite of our small group.  In fact, if we come back we might just come for dessert which is a fantastic option for those who wish to have the fondue experience without spending all the money.

Ladies & Gentlemen, the main event..
Our salad of greens, veggies with a light vinaigrette 

Pieces of apple, bread, and grapes for dipping into the cheese. 

Our cheese.  I know there is Gruyere, but I don't know what else, because I'm sure I stopped listening after I heard Gruyere as I do love me some Gruyere. 


Color coated skewers for your dining pleasure.  Very helpful.  As it's easy  to get them confused while cooking.

An apple dipped in cheese. 



Just in case you didn't know what mini pieces of bread looked like dipped in cheese, this is it. 
And we can't forget about the grapes.  

The view of the table.  The cheese pot is in the middle.  The two pots on the side (as we would learn later)  both contain oil that was being heated in preparation for our next course. 

We ordered three of the Prince Geja's combinations so that we could each try all of the different meats.  This tray contains three portions that we would share


Up close of the meat: shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken, and  beef tenderloin.  In an earlier post,  I decided I didn't like scallops, deep frying them in hot oil did not change my opinion. 

The veggies were also invited, the meat couldn't party alone. 











Claye decided to be fancy and use her phone to time how long the meat was in the oil.  I just guessed.  I'm still alive, so I'm going to assume I guessed correctly :)

Sweet fire. Literally.  It's flaming chocolate. 




After the flame died down we were left with a pot of hot, delicious chocolate, ready for dipping. 



The End.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

These Pigs Don't Need Blankets

When I first read about Publican (http://thepublicanrestaurant.com/)  over a year ago, the first person that came to mind was my bacon-loving friend, Monica B.  I knew this would be a place that she would enjoy. The Publican refers to itself as a beer-centric restaurant but it is also very pork friendly.  The menu is divided into three parts: fish, meat, and vegetable.  While there is an overwhelming amount of pork on the meat side of the menu you will encounter a few chicken, duck and steak dishes.

We originally made reservations with the intent of taking advantage of the 3-course prix-fixe dinner they were serving the week of their third anniversary.  But after seeing the selections for the prix-fixe menu we opted for sharing multiple plates on the menu so that we could get a broader idea of the food offerings. No one was in the mood for the seafood choices, so we mostly stuck to the meat and vegetable portions of the menu.  The set up is great for group sharing, we ordered everything at once but the server informed us that he would bring food items out as they were ready, instead of waiting until everything was done.

The first dish to arrive was the taste of three hams.  Now that I was well acquainted with prosciutto I was looking forward to trying similarly cured meats.  While I did not especially dislike any of them, I had a preference for the Serrano as it wasn't too salty and went will paired with the buttered bread.  The delivery of the squash left me a bit skeptical, as I'm still not a huge fan of the plant.  But it was a different preparation and of course I had to try it.  I had no idea what "spaghetti squash" would look like, but I think most of my table was surprised at its arrival in a small casserole dish.

The choice of pork belly was an early consensus, and I looked forward to its arrival.  It was one of my favorite dishes of the night.  As Monica would later learn and then inform me, pork belly is made from the same part of the pig as bacon.  So of course pork belly should be a popular dish.  This is the first year I have eaten pork belly and I must admit I have not been disappointed yet.  While it is not something I would eat every week, it makes an excellent special occasion/every once in awhile dish.

I have yet to encounter a french fry I won't eat, so the baked chicken and fries dish was welcome due to its familiarity.   I could have done without the summer sausage that accompanied it.  I was also a fan of the country ribs, I wish there had been more as there were four of us splitting this dish.  The last item to arrive was the fried green tomatoes.  The tomatoes were quartered and coated in a thick buttermilk crust, I was a fan of the crust but I didn't like the large chunk of tomato that it encased.  I think I would have been more of a fan of this dish if the ratio of buttermilk coating to tomato had leaned towards more buttermilk and less tomato.

There are still a few items on the menu that I would like to try.  And the large craft beer selection has me eager to go back to expand my craft beer selections--they have over 80 different selections.  But it's definitely a place you should go and be prepared to share.  Bacon and beer lovers, unite.


Taste of Three Hams: serrano, la quercia americano, & edward's country ham


Spaghetti Squash: quinoa, parmesan, peppers & swiss chard

Farm Chicken: half chicken  with summer sausage & frites

Country Ribs (half order): dragon tongue beans, basil, tomatoes, chili & peanuts

Pork Belly: saffron couscous, raisins, & yogurt


Fried Green Tomatoes: buttermilk biscuits & romesco aioli 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

No Forks Allowed



My friend Tiffany, a former resident of Chicago, was one of the first people I told about my idea of developing a food blog.  Her initial response was that I, finally, had to try Ethiopian food.  Years ago, while in college, I had seen Tiffany's to go containers filled with Ethiopian food and I must admit I had no desire to taste what was within that container.  She always said to me that it tasted better than it looked and that I was missing out.  And I was quite content with living a life of not finding out how right or wrong (as I adamently believed) she was about her Ethiopian dishes.

On a trip to Chicago a few months ago, she fulfilled her promise of introducing me to Ethiopian food, at one of her favorite restaurants in Edgewater, Ras Dashen (http://www.rasdashenchicago.com/index.php).  I love that the menu has an how to order guide for those of us that are new to the world of Ethiopian food.  We decided to order two meat entrees, each entree comes with a choice of three sides.  Doro alicha was our chicken selection, milder than than the spicy Doro wat.  I can't recall the name of the beef selection, but among our small party the chicken selection was much more popular.  While I tried all of the sides, there was one that I kept going back for: Tikil gomen alicha (mildly spiced cabbage, potato and carrot stew).  Luckily, we ordered two sides of this dish, as it was definitely a favorite.

I was not a fan of the sour taste of the injera, the Ethiopian bread, used to eat the meal.  Because of my distaste for the bread, Tiffany suggested I use a fork and give up on the traditional method of eating.  It felt odd using a fork, when no one else in the establishment was using one so I went back to the bread.  While I did not like everything I ate, I would go back with a group.  And I give Tiffany the credit of proving to me that I would like Ethiopian food if I gave it a chance.  That's what this journey is about, trying new foods, and discovering new ways and places to eat.

Spinach Sambusa
Injera, traditional Ethiopian bread served with the entrees
Our selection of side dishes before the entrees were dropped in the middle. 

Our smorgasbord of meat and veggie dishes.

All hands on deck!


Friday, September 23, 2011

Mexican Eats for Cheap


If you're looking for white linen, sparkly silverware and other characteristics of "fine dining" then Nuevo Leon (http://nuevoleonrestaurant.com/) is not the place for you.  But if you are looking for great, authentic Mexican food and a place that feels like an overized family kitchen then this is a place you need to try.  We went for a friend's birthday on cinco de mayo (no, she's not mexican but somehow I think being born on the mexican holiday inclines her to have many mexican themed birthday celebrations throughout her life).  I was a little afraid that going to such a popular restaurant on the holiday would lead to us not being seated.  But we waited in line for approximately 20 minutes (some of our party was also late so the wait would have been necessary regardless as they will only seat you when your entire party has arrived).


We were seated in a corner booth where we were able to see the all the other patrons throughout the room--which ranged from families with small children, couples on dates, girls night outters like ourselves, and groups of students I'm assuming from nearby UIC.  Before we could even consider what to order they brought chips and salsa and everyone received an individual free appetizer of a dish similar to an enchilada with potatoes.  Oddly enough the dish reminded me of the neckbones and potatoes my grandmother made when I was younger, but instead of a soupy like preparation, it was served in a tortilla.

The free "appetizer"

chips w/ three types of salsa varying in degress of spiciness
As you can see from the pics below the plating is far from fancy, but the food was all delicious.  There were no complaints from anyone at our large party of 8.  And the place is BYOB, which additionally cuts down on cost.  My portion of the bill ended up being close to $8 (including tip!) for my enchiladas.  No one's individual bill was over $10 that I can recall, and we all left quite full.  When I am in the Pilsen/Tri-taylor area and craving mexican food (which is 75% of all the time for me), I will definitely be adding a stop to Nuevo Leon on my list.

Burrito


My enchiladas :)


Steak Tacos

Barbacoa

Friday, September 2, 2011

Bippity Boppity..Burger?



So I know I haven't written in awhile, and I promise I have been eating (for those concerned that my potential ill life choices might include abstaining from daily sustenance).  But, as of late, I just wasn't inspired by the food I was eating. This Tuesday night, that changed. I've had burgers throughout the city but nothing had me waking up the next morning craving more, until now. 

The roomies and I decided to take a trip to Bop N Grill in Rogers Park.  (They don't have a web page but just in case you don't believe me and want to see a bunch of yelpers and their delight you can go here.)   It's new to the city and its Rogers Park location has been open for just two weeks, the owner tells us. The original shop is located in Evanston.  It is trying (successfully, in my opinion) to make itself a fixture in the city's seemingly lasting craze for gourmet burgers and the trend of fusion food.  The Evanston location opened a year ago, but the restaurant is finally starting to get the coverage it deserves for its delicious, unique food.

Ok, ok, enough about how awesome I think this place is..let's get down to what really matters, the food.  It's main claim to fame is its fusion with Korean and Japanese food, the Kimchi burger is one of its more popular dishes.  But, when I first looked at the menu, the Pizza burger is what stood out to me.  A burger topped with marinara sauce and fried cheesesticks..that sounded like the most awful sort of greatness I'd ever heard.  My first bite was a bit timid, as I wasn't sure how I would like the mesh of two things I love separately.  As I kept eating I realized the flavors blended fairly well, the cheese of the cheesesticks complimented the burger patty making it a very cheesy burger and the marinara sauce made up for the missing burger staples of ketchup, mustard, lettuce, etc.

Pizza burger: single, mozzarella stix, marinara sauce, cheese

A closer look @ my pizza burger. Yes, it was cheesy :)

Father burger: double, fried egg, onion rings, bacon, bbq sauce, cheese, grilled onions w/ a side of onion rings

Umami burger: truffled duxelle, smoked gouda, grilled tomatoes, grilled onions, smoked bacon, togarashi mayo

There are quite a few different burgers to try, from the unique to the very familiar.  If you're looking for a bit more bop and less burger, they also have a wide selection of plates of meat served with rice and kimchi on their menu. There is not much seating, for those wishing to dine in, I believe they're targeting the "to go" audience, especially since their two locations are able to appeal and give them access to many hungry undergraduates at both Northwestern and Loyola.  And yes, they are both very North in/of the city, but as great as my burger was, I'd recommend a trip even from the south 'burbs.