Sunday, August 29, 2010

Peanut Butter Bliss

Earwax Smoothie

R.B. said, "Earwax Cafe in Wicker Park has the BEST breakfast, and you have to have the peanut butter smoothie! Oh yeah!!

We had already had breakfast (at our B&B), but a peanut butter smoothie sounded perfect to me.  So I got one.

It was super-simple (there's a chocolate version, too), but quite good.  Really, it hit the spot. Oh yeah!!

Thanks, R!

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I'm more into the nibbles than the sips.

Longman & Eagle bloody Mary

Longman & Eagle has been open less than a year in Chicago (near the Logan Square Blue Line stop). I had the opportunity to have brunch there with one of the owners (a friend of Dan's) and his wife, which was a first for me.  It was a singularly decadent experience -- and an awesome meal.

I ordered the Brioche French Toast Stuffed with Housemade Seasonal Preserves, Honey Creme Fraiche, Blis Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. So yummy.  So next level.  The preserves were an enormous pile of a squarish blueberries. The creme fraiche carried the faintest tinge of lemon foam. Wow!  Dan had biscuits and pork gravy with a side of potato terrine, and I loved my bites of that, too.

The photo above, though, is of Mike's Bloody Mary (I'm told the shot of beer he ordered with it is a midwestern thing, but I never noticed such a tradition in Kansas).  I took a snapshot with lust in my heart because the drink came garnished not just with lemon, lime, and spices, but with a cornichon AND a small block of cheese.  Be still my beating heart!  This is what I like to see.

I wish this place were in my neighborhood.  Smashing menu, great decor, sidewalk cafe, beer garden?  It's fab.  When they do someday turn the rooms upstairs into hotel rooms, I'll be happy to check in.

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Friday, August 27, 2010

B at the B&B

Spread 2

Welcome to Ray's Bucktown B&B, Chicago!

As far as I'm concerned, this "B&B" can stand for "Breakfast and Breakfast."

Breakfast

The chef (I believe her name was Maureen) made delicious apricot pancakes for me (and a made-to-order omelette for Dan).  We shared roasted potatoes with rosemary, which were perfectly crispy.

Spread 1

Pre-breakfast

There had also been a pre-breakfast spread of fruit, juices and pastries.

I hope it's clear I recommend this place.

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To Save the Day

Underdogg

People on Yelp seem to love to hate Underdogg, but I didn't have a problem with my Chicago-Style turkey dog (onions, mustard, pickle, relish, peppers, tomato) or crispy fries. They really need to give out more ketchup for their fries (we got three packets for two orders of french fries), but other than that -- it hit the spot after an afternoon of wandering Bucktown and Wicker Park.

I've no doubt there are better dogs in Chicago, but I'm no snob.

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When Dave says, "Eat," I ask, "How much?"

Unknown

My coworker Dave is good about alerting me to the appearance of snacks in our office kitchenette. I try to do the same for him. He's also been known to go on Snickers Ice Cream Bar runs for the both of us. He's a generous guy.

A week or two ago, Dave said, "You've got to try those things in the kitchen!" They were kind of like muffins and kind of like cupcakes. No one seemed to know who had brought them. I think Dave liked them even more than I did, but I liked them just fine.

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Nuts for No Nuts

Caramel Corn

If, as you walk around the corner in an airport terminal, you have cause to exclaim, "Something smells GOOD, like caramel popcorn!" and then you see a stand selling (among other things) caramel popcorn, you should probably buy some of that caramel popcorn.

This was from "Nuts On Clark," specifically its location in Chicago O'Hare.  As it turned out, I wasn't in the mood for nuts, but the plain, old, caramel popcorn was excellent.

No Nuts, please.

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