Tag Archives: dining

Swedish Gyros

Posted on July 14, 2009 | 2 Comments

Have you ever been on a store check?

No?

Well then you are missing out on feeling like a creepy loiterer. I spent my day in the western suburbs of Chicago doing just that. I won’t go into detail about the exciting world of store checks, but I will share this discovery with you.

If you are part of a certain “exclusive membership program” of a certain warehouse store, then you can pick out your own casket, some “Versace” china, and replacement printer cartridges all in one convenient aisle.

I am just as confused as you are. Wait, what does that say on the top of the casket display?

Non-Emotional? What? And why that image?

After a long day of store checks, I was happy to arrive home from the strip malls, big box stores and mall sprawl of the western burbs. Andersonville, I <3 you. I felt like celebrating the general awesomeness of the weather and the neighborhood with a Monday night patio dining experience and a stroll along the Clark street strip.

Geranium patio companions at Andies.

Justin on the left, and I'm on the right. Who knew that sauteed spinach could be an entree? "Jo in Seattle" would approve.

The Swedish horse in front of the White Attic.

Electric violet blue window boxes and tiles on the front of Tapas Las Ramblas. They hurt to look at in person because of the intense saturation.

This bench and planter area can be found on each corner of the main Clark street strip of Andersonville. This evening sun can be found in the summer. It cannot be found when walking home from the train at 5 pm in January. I have to remember this shot when I am wearing boots and down in the dark.

These bench and planter areas can be found on each corner along the main Clark street strip of Andersonville. This evening sun can be found on perfect summer nights. It cannot be found when trudging home from the train at 5 pm in January. I have to remember this shot when I am wearing boots and down coat in the dark.

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Posted in andersonville, Chicago

Tagged andersonville, casket, Chicago, Daily Picture, dining, flower, food, geraniums, patio dining, photography, versace china

Ugly Food

Posted on July 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

Justin and I spent the past few days pretending we were going to buy a place. This was a fun game for me, since one of my favorite things to do in Chicago is just wander around aimlessly. However, Mr. Boley hates aimless wandering. But since we were “scouting” neighborhoods, the wandering transformed into a mission with an objective. He is much happier this way.

There was also food. Ugly, colorless– and yet delicious–German food. Since we were in Lincoln Square for one of our scouting missions, we decided to try the Brauhaus.

Looks safe and germany from the outside.

Looks safe and Germanish from the outside...

..on the inside it ws like a red-light carpetted german cafeteria decorated in the 70s.

..on the inside it was a dimly lit carpeted German cafeteria decorated in the 70s.

Sprechen Sie Delicious?

all aestetic treacheries were pardoned the second that the jars of horseradish and mustard were delivered. I then proceeded to top my schnitzel with this mana from german heaven. This was one of the most comforting and delicious meals I have had in a long time.

All aesthetic treacheries were pardoned the second that the jars of horseradish and mustard were delivered. I then proceeded to top my schnitzel and bratwursts with this manna from German condiment heaven. This was one of the most comforting and delicious meals I have had in a long time.

I was so happy with the meal, that I looked on the internet to see if my company has an office in Germany. Just in case. YES! Frankfurt. I could do that. And maybe change my middle name back to Hochstetler? I would consider it.

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Posted in Daily Picture

Tagged Chicago, dining, german food, horseradish, justin, lincoln square, neighborhood scouting

And Then We Ate Texas

Posted on June 30, 2009 | 1 Comment

Last week, two coworkers and I were lucky enough to go to Austin Texas for the HOW Design Conference. We spent four days at the convention center, eating and drinking everything within a 4 mile radius. It was amazing. Let’s briefly review the conference…

Oops. That is actually the most delicious tomato salad I have ever eaten from the restaurant La Condesa.

Here are my travel buddies. They have appeared on Megagood before, and are responsible for bringing many people into the site who are searching for "blond curls."

Eeeegads, the trade show. Some people LOVE these things. I have never been a huge fan, seeing as how I don't like excess stuff or overhead flourescent lighting. A word of advice to the vendors targetting designers at one of these things: Give away posters. That is all they are going to save. They will wait in a line that wraps around many booths to get your poster. They will put it up at work. The rest of the stuff is likely in the hotel garbage can. Just saying.

Eeeegads, the trade show. Some people LOVE these things. I have never been a huge fan, seeing as how I don't like excess stuff or overhead fluorescent lighting. A word of advice to the vendors targeting designers at one of these things: Give away posters. That is all they are going to save. They will wait in a line that wraps around many booths to get your poster. They will put it up at work. The rest of the stuff is likely in the hotel garbage can. Just saying.

The most popular sticker at the trade show. Death to Papyrus, please and thanks.

The rest of the photos from the conference are taken from the inside of various 32 degree meeting halls. I can describe them to you. Picture several hundred people sitting on hard chairs listening to a speaker in the front of the room with a big screen. These people may or may not be taking notes, blogging, Twittering or Facebooking. Most likely they are freezing to death. They may or may not be inspired by what they hear. They will walk out if they are not. They will text their travel buddies to come join their session if they think it is awesome.

I attended a few sessions that were really worth it and I left feeling excited to be a designer. I also attended a few that made me glad that I wasn’t an in-house designer or freelancer. Many of the attendees seemed to fit into those two camps. Can we talk about food now?

Curra's. Best Tex-Mex food I have ever put in my mouth. I don't even have photos of the plate because it was devoured almost instantly. Our waiter was also insanely nice. We don't have that kind of service in Chicago.

Lamberts. Great gods of smokey meats with a side of macaroni this was fantastic.

Lambert's was on the fancy side barbeque by most people's standards. The atmosphere, server and food were just to die for though. I am in love with that cuban pork sandwich.

Lambert's was on the fancy side barbecue by most people's standards. The atmosphere, server and food were just to die for though. I am in love with that Cuban pork sandwich.

Gorgeous centerpiece. These are my little buddies House, Hot and Mustard.

Another "best" to add to the list. This granola changed my life. I may never be satisfied by breakfast cereal again.

And here is some more eating. La Condesa this time. Authentic mexican.

I can't show you all the photos of what happened in between eating and going to bed. But here is our rickshaw biker. I think he is about to regret taking this fare.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged austin texas, Daily Picture, dining, food, HOW design conference, photography, rickshaw, travel

Surfacing

Posted on June 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

WELL, then. That was the longest I have gone without posting since this thing started and it hurt me more than it hurt you. I am sure of that.

Where to begin? Last Saturday was wine club at my place. Attendance was good. Twenty bottles of wine were consumed, games were played, prizes were won, fun was had. I didn’t take a ton of photos during the event; I was the hostess and I was just plain tired from preparing for the party all day. However, my brother was in town and filmed with his fancy pants camera (now for sale), so those videos might surface someday.

Manikins enjoying the backyard

Amber's wine glass is roughly the size of her head. As wine glasses should be.

I had to thank Mr. Honeybear for providing the wonderful honey on top of our various cheese and cracker combos.

Catch Phrase. No explanation needed.

What do you do after you drink twenty bottles of wine?

Brunch.

Le Brunch to be specific. Le Creperie is one of my favorite brunch spots in the city. From its storefront on Clark street, you wouldn’t know that there was anything good going on in there. It is kind of dark and dingy at first glance. But after walking through the cave-like interior, you will emerge onto the back patio and feel that you’ve discovered the Atlantis of the brunch world. There are little red and white checkered tables under a canopy of leaves and twinkly lights. Flowers and trees are not something that generally flourish near the intersection of Clark and Diversey, so this place is golden.

Le Lovely.

This was Jordan's first time to Le Brunch. We took him there because he is being heavily recruited by me and my friends to move to Chicago.

This poor nutella and strawberry crepe had a very shot life. It was quickly dismantled and consumed for dessert. Because you should always have dessert at brunch.

This poor nutella and strawberry crepe had a very short life. It was quickly dismantled and consumed for dessert. Because you should always have dessert at brunch. The Splenda packet under the plate cracks me up. Who are we trying to kid?

I am really excited to post all about by trip to Austin, Texas. I was there for four days last week and had an amazing time. OMG THE FOOD. I can’t…even…

Here is just a sneak peek. You are witnessing a blurried furry of food ecstasy.

Here is just a sneak peek. You are witnessing a blurred flurry of food ecstasy.

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Posted in Daily Picture, dining

Tagged brunch, canon video camera for sale, clark street, dining, food, le creperie, photography, wine club

Slumladies “Meelllllin-air”

Posted on February 26, 2009 | 4 Comments

I got to spend last night with some of my favorite OLAYadies (+ Andrea). Dinner was at the Grand Lux (megatouristy, but megagood none the less). You have to order the Asian nachos to share as an appetizer. If you are with Amber, make sure she has a plate of her own and stay at a safe distance. I am also guilty of this shameless nacho behavior on occasion. The portions are outrageously enormous, just like most all of the other downtown touristy restaurants. You should share the full orders with someone at your table or get appetizers as we did, unless you want to haul 5 lbs of take-home food with you around the city afterward.

Also, don’t forget your ID if you want to even think about having a glass of wine or a cocktail at the Lux. They are insane about carding. No matter what your age. Marjorie thought the waitress was kidding when she was asked to show hers. Pam was asked, too. But they both work on a skincare account and have good genes, so I am actually not shocked they were carded. I ‘ve also been there with my former boss, Anne, when she was refused a glass of wine because she didn’t have her ID. She’s 28 for heaven’s sake.

: The wonder in her expression kills me. It’s a great food face.

: Pam and Andrea’s coveted Ahi plate.

: And then Andrea was abducted. Right from the movie theater lobby. She’s cool with it.

After dinner, Andrea, Casey and I walked around the corner to the movie theater at 600 N Michigan. It is really weird in there. Just strangely designed. We did make it safely into our seats after 1 Photoshop disaster, an alien abduction, and a movie-sized package of peanut M&M’s.

We were all a little behind the times and hadn’t seen the big Oscar winner, Slumdog Millionaire. I have to say that I really enjoyed it, and was very impressed by the way it was shot. I LOVED hearing the line “who wants to be a Meelllllin-air!!?” over and over. I couldn’t watch a couple of the scenes involving the beggar children. It was tough to take. I think that Benjamin Button was a better movie, but the two are so different that they are difficult to compare. Slumdog does have a fantastic soundtrack though. Jai Ho!! (Tally ho if you are Casey.)

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Posted in Daily Picture

Tagged ahi tuna, asian nachos, Chicago, dining, friends, grand lux, movie night, photography, slumdog millionaire

Not Mushy

Posted on February 15, 2009 | 2 Comments

I am not a mushy person.* And Valentines Day as a holiday does not particularly excite me. But love does, and so does food. So since Valentines Day is supposed to involve both of these things, we can get along. Although I don’t know why you would reserve just one day of year for this excitement. If you don’t recognize love (romantic or otherwise), enjoy food, or dine out unless Hallmark tells you to, then Valentines Day may possibly be a very important holiday to you. Maybe you also would go nuts over a Vermont Teddy Bear, Jane Seymour’s Eternal Hearts necklace, or the dreaded Cupcake in Bloom. Someone is getting that crap. And someone is thrilled about it. Pleh.

Here is my effort at being cute for yesterday’s breakfast:

heart_eggs1

Justin: "Did you nom a bite out of my egg samich?" Me: "It's A HEART. Geez."

So I tried.

We decided to go to In Fine Spirits for dinner and drinks. We hadn’t been there since the summer. *Sigh.* It was June. They had their lovely patio opened up at the back of the restaurant. I can remember having a Blanc Bombshell flight out in the sun with a scrumptious pairing of cheeses on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I think I would pay $1,000 if someone could fast forward time to May, when all of Chicago goes completely out of their heads on the day that patios open up city-wide. We love our dining alfresco.

Back to mid-February: Justin and I ordered a couple reds from the extensive wine menu. The Rioja I had in my glass was the winner. I wish I could describe it properly. Oaky and dry I think. Like smoked wood? It perfectly complimented our plate of Roaring 40s Blue (King Island, Australia), Chorizo (Palacios, Spain), and Sunset Bay goats milk (River’s Edge, Oregon). The second I bit into the Roaring 40s Blue and had a sip of wine directly following, my eyes became squinty, twinkly and a bit blurry. I think Justin calls it my happy-food-place-face?

Wine, small plates, and a pretty tin ceiling.

We followed up the cheese with small tapas style plates of roasted chicken tartine with provolone, celeriac rémoulade, tomato marmalade, followed by meatballs with sake-braised bok choy, soy, ginger, and roasted cauliflower with brussels sprouts, bacon lardon, pine nut, golden raisin. With the exception of one husband-approved brussel sprout, I finished the roasted cauliflower plate without much sharing. It was my first taste of brussel sprouts ever! And I love them! And they weren’t mushy at all!

Brussel sprouts! Not Mushy! A whole page in the menu for cheese! Entire water flasks for our table alone. No ice!

Any restaurant that gives me the whole water pitcher/flask/decanter and leaves it on the table gets major bonus points. Anyone that has spent more than 10 minutes with me in person is aware that I drink more water than thought humanly possible. During a week-long a photo shoot with my lovely former boss-lady Anne (hi, Anne!), I probably frightened the crew with my ability to clear an entire water pallet from Sam’s in less than two days. While driving back to the hotel one night, I freaked out about not having any water (and chap stick?) within arm’s reach and made her pull over to the nearest gas station so I could buy 2 liters of the good stuff. I went to bed with the bottles full on the nightstand, and woke up with them thrown onto the hotel floor, completely empty. I am a sleep drinker apparently.

Although I love water, I am not a fan of ice. It inhibits me from drinking water as fast as I would like, and causes brain freeze. It also makes the food and wine less tasty when the mouth is frozen. So I would rather not have it. So bonus points to In Fine Spirits for not having ice water.

Also, bonus points to the entire country of Italy for also never serving me ice. It is one of the top reasons I wouldn’t be mad if I had to move there someday.

<3 <3 <3

*A note about not being a mushy person. I am an ENTP that needs to rein in the “T” (thinking) and concentrate on developing the “F”(feeling) side a lot more. Things that help with the “F”: kittens, babies, heart-shaped egg samiches, and an encouraging INTJ husband who is more in touch with his “F” than I am. I will try harder. <3

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Posted in andersonville, Chicago, Daily Picture, dining

Tagged andersonville, cheese, Chicago, Daily Picture, dining, ENTP, food, In Fine Spirits, INTJ, justin, love, Valentines Day, water, wine

Not What You Think

Posted on February 7, 2009 | 2 Comments

Last night, Justin and I went to the Hopleaf for dinner! Then we got to the hostess who let us know that it was a 2 hour wait.

So then we decided to go to Andies for dinner! It is not what you think. The website…yes..kind of bad. The restaurant decor….yes…really bad. The red light bulbs and roses for Valentines day…cheesy. BUT the food is so good. Every time I have been there, my satisfied tummy leaves no room for complaint. We started with a couple wine flights that are served in a cheesy little curly wire plant-stand looking thing. The glasses are miniature. Please note the daintiness of the glass in Justin’s hand. The presentation is cheesy…but the wine was good.

wine

Big man. Little teensy glass.

We were not there for the wine though. The menu is a little overwhelming, and has many fold out panels that open. There are at least two supplemental loose leaf inserts as well. I am convinced that you can order anything on the extensive list of mouth watering Mediterranean dishes. If you find something gross, please call me from the restaurant and I will be there within 5 minutes to slap you. You are clearly a liar and don’t know good food. I will then buy your dinner from you and eat it with pleasure.

The red lighting didn’t really provide a ton of light, and I refuse to use the flash in a restaurant. So the actual meal photo is a bit shaky. I am also very excited to eat it, so only took a fuzzy shot or two. (Note: Since I have been taken my new camera into restaurants, I must appear to be working for a publication that is reviewing the place. Because I have been visited by the manager to ask how the meal is, service is flawless, the food delicious, presentation gorgeous and quick to come out of the kitchen. I am NOT what they think I am. Although I suppose I am reviewing the place in a way, just not for a “real” publication).

Moroccan Chicken with Apricot: Breast of chicken grilled with vegetables, garbanzo. Moroccan spices, apricot sauce. Side of dill rice. Bad lighting, shaky hand.

Justin had the Sha‑Wer-Ma homemade lebanese style gyros with tahini sauce. He loved it. At the end of the meal, we noticed there was still bread left in the basket which means the meal was fantastic. Rarely do we leave the bread alone. I have probably only seen this happen 3 times in our eating career.

Rare leftover bread sighting.

So at this point I would usually refuse a dessert menu and ask for the check. But sometime during the time line of restaurant evolution, the dessert tray/cart tactic was born. It is beautiful and irresistible to most humans. Pomegranate cheesecake was promptly ordered. The tartness of the pom, the cinnamon and nutmeg spiced crust, and rich smoothness of the filling marry together into a piece of dessert perfection that is unique and memorable. It was also very good looking on the plate… for the 1/2 second life it had before we devoured it.

cheesecake1 emptyplate

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Posted in andersonville, Daily Picture, dining

Tagged andersonville, Andies, cheesecake, Daily Picture, dining, food, photography, restaurant

Eggs and Puppets

Posted on February 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

My mom came to Andersonville for brunch this morning, and we decided to try Big Jones for the first time. As we walked up Clark Street we couldn’t help but notice the weather was a wonderful balmy 34 degrees!! Marvelous. Sadly, I am not being the least bit sarcastic.

The menu at Big Jones is “Coastal Southern Cuisine” and perfect for a winter brunch. Andouille & Sweet Potato Biscuits, Shrimp & Grits, a Creole Cream Cheese Omelet, and the Fried Green Tomato BLT are all options for you to gorge on before noon. I am not sure I could handle this in the summer, although there are some lighter options on the menu…kind of. The meal starts out with a little plate of fried dough pastries rolled in powdered sugar. Beignets perhaps? They are melt-in-your-mouth good, and have a sneaking hint of bacon grease….mmm. Like carnival food, without the nastiness of a carnival. The cups of coffee (and portions) are HUGE, the atmosphere is cozy but lively, and the music is vintage soul. I will have to go back with a huge appetite and try dinner.

5347 N Clark

Sweet fluffy deep-fried lump of good (evil?)

XXL

Breakfast Burrito, Chicken-Fried Steak Special, and Eggs New Orleans (Lump crab cakes on fresh popovers with poached eggs, béarnaise sauce, and potatoes O'Brien)

Good peoples of Chicago eating good foods of Chicago

I have rarely been to brunch where the conversation was lacking. Often the meaning of life, the future, and what your want to be when you “grow up” are topics. Something about the time of day, the extravagant dishes, and caffeine excitement I think. And nothing beats a multi-hour patio brunch in the summer. With a mimosa. 3 1/2 months to go I think.

On our walk home, we were lucky enough to see the Puppet Bike in midst of an always stellar performance. It is often spotted along Clark Street in Andersonville or downtown by Millennium Park. Always welcome sight. If you haven’t seen the Puppet Bike, you haven’t really lived. If you take a picture of the Puppet Bike, or any street kind of street performer, give them a tip. Otherwise it is kind of stealing and you are most likely being a bad tourist. I am not one to preach, but don’t be an ass.