ASOChicago wrote:1) Collaboration Goat Pie from Pleasant House Bakery and Jonathan Zaragoza--yes it was THAT good. I didn't even heat it

I'm speechless, it was astounding. Maybe the best bite I've had all year. BTW - Art is expecting to be out of them by Saturday, when PHB planned to serve them again, they were doing brisk business this evening.

From Avec tonight, "marinated white anchovies on charred flatbread with cucumber, cilantro and mustard oil"...astounding combination. Ordered in an attempt to sooth the anchovy cravings that have plagued me in the weeks since having Next elBulli's perfect, "Coca of Avocado Pear, Anchovies, and Green Onion." I won't say Avec's anchovies matched Next's, but I didn't expect it to come near so close.

Cappucino cake from A Taste of Heaven. Described on their website as "yellow cake layered with a mocha buttercream then covered with a three chocolate glaze." We've been eating it since Friday. It continues to be delicious.

A Taste of Heaven
5401 N Clark
Chicago, IL
773-989-0151
http://www.atasteofheavenchicago.com/index.html

Spicy lemon beef salad from Cafe Hoang Chinatown.

OMG...

Langoustines in garlic and olive oil. Last night at Vera. Although each only has 2-3 forkfuls,the meat is beautiful, sweet and tender.

-mm

Vera
1023 W. Lake St.
(at Carpenter)
312.243.9770

http://www.verachicago.com/

Ate many wonderful things today, but the following three really made me grin from ear to ear

Marsala and roasted garlic wild boar sausage with bacon-garlic mayonnaise and smoked gouda cheese. Hot Doug's.


Rhubarb pie. Bang Bang Pie. (The key lime was also fantastic!)


Tomatillo salsa, dante lamb cheese, cilantro. Great Lake.

That's a pretty good food day.

spiffytriphy wrote:
Rhubarb pie. Bang Bang Pie. (The key lime was also fantastic!)

That looks great! Call me a purist, but I always prefer plain rhubarb pie to rhubarb-strawberry and other hybrids. I'm a big fan of the balance between sweetness and tartness. How would you rank this one?

jvalentino wrote:That's a pretty good food day.

For real. I thought my Floriole kouign-amann and Aroy Thai chou chi pork comprised some solid eating, but those pictures shut my ass up

One major highlight from a phenomenal dinner at Nightwood . . .


Simple Spring Vegetables, Toasted Goat Cheese (asparagus, turnips, ramps, parasol mushrooms, etc.)

=R=

Linguica and chive bao from Flour & Bones at Dose Market today. Spicy, garlicky, soft w a scallion crunch. Nice.

A tagliatelle pasta dish from a new place in Uptown that I tried, Sous Rising. I'm going to post a whole review of the place, I think. It was really impressive.

this

chocolate stuffed marshmallow by Mel Hill Photography, on Flickr

Spicy clams with pancetta and ramps at Anteprima. On the specials menu tonight. Just awesome.

mhill95149 wrote:this

chocolate stuffed marshmallow by Mel Hill Photography, on Flickr

That looks amazing and delicious!

I was planning on being good. I was going to have a corned beef sandwich at Eleven City (no time to make it to Manny's, grrr) and that's it.

Then I saw the #24 - corned beef, pastrami, Swiss and chopped liver - and my good intentions went out the window.

But I'm glad I have the second half to eat today.

Herbed ciabatta from La Boulangerie. Just ripped off the end and shoved it into my mouth. It was so good it made me want to have a bread sandwich. It was so good it reminded me of the other best thing I've had lately, again simple but powerful - double espresso in a demitasse at Star Lounge. Practically a religious experience. I think it's the best espresso I've ever had in my life anywhere in the world.

Hazelnut crackers from TRU... killer

While in Avon,Indiana for a wrestling tourney ,I spied with my little eye the first Jack in the Box I had seen in over 30 years.Those deliciously sinful little tacos , 2 for 99 cents were almost as good as I remember when as a lad I would pay for those little morsels with lint covered money from my pocket and coins discovered inder my floor mats and in between the seats.

trudie wrote:While in Avon,Indiana for a wrestling tourney ,I spied with my little eye the first Jack in the Box I had seen in over 30 years.Those deliciously sinful little tacos , 2 for 99 cents were almost as good as I remember when as a lad I would pay for those little morsels with lint covered money from my pocket and coins discovered inder my floor mats and in between the seats.

Nice post.

Brunkow's garlic-dill cheese curds purchased at the Evanston farmers market. These were so fresh they squeaked (guy said they were made yesterday and I believe it) and they had a great garlic flavor with a touch of dill and a pleasant chew.

Torta de Chicharron and Torta de Milanesa de Pollo at El Yugo on Camelinas in Morelia. 15 pesos each, about a buck twenty, we were in torta heaven. We hadn't been there in a long time and why I don't know but the best tortas we have found in Morelia. Plans today are for fish dinner at El Navegante after the movies at noon (The Raven, here in Mexico El Cuervo.)

David Burke's Primehouse . . . but before you think it was the outstanding steak I was going to tell you about, no it wasn't. It was the strawberry-rhubarb pie ice cream that I was able to enjoy for dessert (left over apparently from what I believe is their every Friday (in Summer at least) pop-up ice cream shop. Local strawberries and rhubarb and really spectacular! If I've had better ice cream and a better flavor, I certainly can't think of it now, but I'm guessing it would have been either in Italy or from Mindy Segal at Hot Chocolate (and even those might not have been better).

Duck wings at The Peasantry. Three meaty wings that come with two sauces (one was ranch-like and the other was a cherry/mustard). The wings came out piping hot and were sticky in the best way possible. Definitely one of the better non Sun Wah, non fine dining duck dishes that I've had recently.

Wheat toast with goat butter, and another slice with goat butter and strawberry jam. It was the best thing since...well, you know.

Sugar snap peas in the yard this afternoon. Pick, strip out the string and in the mouth within seconds from picking.

The fried chicken lunch at Big Jones:



Haven't had fried chicken in 2 years so this was an amazing lunch..

and this I made a few weeks ago:



It's grilled baby octopus, potatoes, chick peas, dandelion greens in a light vinaigrette surrounded by a piquillo pepper sauce

Plate of stir-fried Shanghai noodles with mushroom and bok choy from Ed's Potsticker House this weekend - tons of smoky wok hay, chewy-pliant noodles, gingery veggies. Hella good.

Also made my first trip to Zaragoza. Got a large plate wit bones and got comped a side of machito and liver. Hand-made tortillas were the best I've ever had.

Best in both classes, in Chicago, New York, or anywhere, really.

Forcing myself to disregard that the meatballs are as good as my late grandma's: the roasted carrots accompanying the meatball sandwich at Italian Superior Bakery. Perfectly cooked (probably in one of the bread ovens), dressed with some extra butter, garlic, and seasoning, a cup of intensity and colorful beauty.

Thin-cut lamb shoulder chops bought at Marketplace on Oakton in Skokie. Pan-seared in Sicilian olive oil, with a sprinkle of Montreal Steak Seasoning and a couple sprigs of fresh oregano from the garden. Topped off when done with a squeeze of lemon juice. Side of whole wheat angel hair with Pecorino Romano, and fresh steamed broccoli crowns. And a fair pouring of a 2009 BenMarco Malbec.

These chops definitely had marbling, but plenty of meat & came off the shoulder bone readily. Maybe the best-tasting lamb I've had in a long while. $4.25 for almost a pound, dirt cheap.