The mackerel at Sunshine Cafe. So simple, yet so good.

rmtraut wrote:The mackerel at Sunshine Cafe. So simple, yet so good.

my favorite thing there, thanks for the reminder to get back

This Memorial weekend was very good for my belly.
I waited a good twenty minutes at Bang Bang for the Chocolate Coconut to be done, and brother, it was the best twenty minutes I ever spent. This may be one of the best pies I ever had. There was a marshmallowy goo on the bottom, a chocolate cream that was so rich it was black, and a toasted marshmallowy topping; it was like a rich, coconutty s'more. Luckily, this is still on the menu, so I may have to go back before the weekend is up. While I waited, I tried the coffee, which is quite nice; not bitter, very creamy, and there may have been some citrus notes or perhaps it was the soy milk. I also learned that soy milk and coffee are not very tasty once you get to the bottom of the cup.

I figured I might as well maximize the time I spent getting to Bang Bang by ordering the other two sweet pies on the menu, cherry and Honey Thyme with Strawberries. I absolutely loved the Honey Thyme. I may have to go back for another slice of that, too. It was not too sweet or too herbal, but nicely balanced and unique. I should have eaten it after letting it sit out at room temperature a bit, but once I started I couldn't stop.

The cherry was nice, but I ate it on the third day and I bet it would have been a lot better either fresh or warm, so I can't really remark on it.

Very hungry after work today in Evanston, I headed to Soulwich and got the Indonesian Ginger BBQ sandwich with pork and a Dry Cucumber Soda. Holy wow. The pork was so smoky, so tender, so flavorful. The toppings and sauce were well-balanced, and the cucumber soda complemented the sandwich completely. The bottle of sriracha next to me only got used for the last couple bites because I wanted to see if it added anything (it was fine). I brought a book but decided I couldn't read after the first bite... I just wanted to concentrate on the eating experience. I've always thought Soulwich was good, but this was one of the best sandwiches I've had anywhere, ever!

Posting for an elderly neighbor who was close to going into rapture when I called her from Port Washington, WI about being near Ewig brothers and did she need anything? She ripped me a new one for it taking me so long to get back there from the last time I went in for her.

She was going on and on and on about the smoked Whitefish to the extent that I ended up handing the phone to the guy behind the counter, roughly ten minutes after I called and walked into the store. Personally, the Herrings they sell are great and inexpensive. Every once in a while I go in there for the "smell" to remind me of my youth growing up in NE. My kid wrinkeles his nose, but I love it.

Oh - every once and a while I have a severe urge for smoked eel. My dying father once requested this and it was a scramble to find in Milwaukee. (We moved him here from the East Coast when he could not take care of himself anymore).

However, Cermak market by Miller Park (HAH! Brewers Last in division, Cubbies forever!) now stock lots of smoked fish, including eel. Not the best I ever had, but my old favorite from Atlanta sending things fedex is three times the price.

Called an audible en route to Mario's because of traffic last pm and landed @ Avec. Once again as from our last meal there:

The highight for me was the wood fired squid amatriciana with San Marzano's, guanciale, fideo and fennel aioli. A dish pulled from their greatest hits and one of the best things I've eaten in a long time.

Just a great dish. Rich (we like the rich) and savory (that to) with spongy/crusty and aioli slathered just-like-I- like-it goodness.

Huge props for the best wine descripition in a long time given by our lovely server. In discussing rose, which we felt would drink well w/it, her "it's really a whore in a bottle" sold it. Ranking up there w/an old collegue of mine from my EBC days telling me the 1970 Chateau Latour we just drank reminded him of a velvet penis.

rmtraut wrote:The mackerel at Sunshine Cafe. So simple, yet so good.

You're clearly a person of few words, rmtraut- but could those of us interested in this one possibly get a better description of the mackeral and the place? How it was prepared (grilled?), flavor, texture, sides/presentation? Links, info, pics?

sandman wrote:

rmtraut wrote:The mackerel at Sunshine Cafe. So simple, yet so good.

You're clearly a person of few words, rmtraut- but could those of us interested in this one possibly get a better description of the mackeral and the place? How it was prepared (grilled?), flavor, texture, sides/presentation? Links, info, pics?

It's simply grilled and pictured here

viewtopic.php?t=8840

The grilled chicken torta at Ceres Cafe in the Board of Trade Building - 141 W Jackson. It was a thin, grilled chicken breast on a large square, fairly soft white roll with some grilled poblanos, a lot of arugula and a nice thin creamy cilantro sauce. Very messy, worth the truoble.

sandman wrote:

rmtraut wrote:The mackerel at Sunshine Cafe. So simple, yet so good.

You're clearly a person of few words, rmtraut- but could those of us interested in this one possibly get a better description of the mackeral and the place? How it was prepared (grilled?), flavor, texture, sides/presentation? Links, info, pics?

Grilled, oil, salt.

Sunshine Café - do a search.

Pork pot stickers from Fabulous Noodles in Lisle. Thick, a bit oily in a good way, with pot sticker juiciness oozing out with each bite. It's funny: My husband thinks that Fabulous Noodles has the best pot stickers, and Katy's Dumpling House actually has the best noodles. I kind of agree!

The Mole and Chipotle Smoked Chicken Sausage with Jalapeño Mayonnaise, Habanero-Jack Cheese and Fried Tortillas at Hot Doug's. Everything was so well balanced, and it wasn't over-cheesy as the specials sometimes tend to be. Smokey, a nice kick of heat, fresh little slivers of tortillas, really a home-run from Doug. If I were off today, I'd be over there enjoying another one.

Uni udon at LA's Marugame Monzo.

Truffle egg toast at Davanti Enoteca

Here's what I ate yesterday without making any effort or thinking much about it, three places steps from my quotidian path:

Brisket salad, Blackwood BBQ in the Loop, 1/2 block from the office. Documented recently, this brand new addition to the office lunch ranks is already damn good, smoking everything in its nondescript storefront location for 18 hours. The brisket I tried was really tops with a fantastic dark char, all comparable to Smoque. Attention is paid to the sauces, including SC mustard and Eastern NC vinegar. Sides were good too.

Spicy beef short rib taco, ahi poke (sashimi grade) taco, Big & Little's, on the way home. Christ, this place only gets better. Mobbed but efficient, the guys have taken the tacos to a new level. Fried cod and burgers looked as good as or better than before. It had been too long. Steamed, apparently fresh-picked blue crab poke is the evolotion of the B&L crab tostada. Terrific. Hard shell taco lovers: B&L's shells are far and away the best I have tasted, used sparingly for certain items (the poke preps, best I can tell), but I bet they'd take a special request to use them for other applications.

Sausage and rabe white pizza, Spacca Napoli, a block from home. Another well oiled machine that is as good as or better than ever. Exemplary example of the style from a cheery neighborhood anchor.

For me, this is what makes Chicago great, and probably right now the greatest, overall US food town. Three casual, neighborhood spots doing one or a few things incredibly well in an unpretentious, workmanlike way.

The kouign amann at Bad Wolf Coffee. Holy buttery amazingness.

Bad Wolf Coffee
3422 N Lincoln Ave

Ooooh... Been wanting to try it but have been trying to avoid buttery pastry goodness. Owner is a good guy. Coffee is great tho hard to break the habit, both at home and at the evil chain that shall not be named, of drinking 16oz+, since he doesn't offer larger than 12 I think. Hope he does well--when I was in people seemed a bit confused that he's not making 100 silly drinks and supersizing them.

And nice to have you back in the 'hood disagree if only for a cuppa!

boudreaulicious wrote:Ooooh... Been wanting to try it but have been trying to avoid buttery pastry goodness. Owner is a good guy. Coffee is great tho hard to break the habit, both at home and at the evil chain that shall not be named, of drinking 16oz+, since he doesn't offer larger than 12 I think. Hope he does well--when I was in people seemed a bit confused that he's not making 100 silly drinks and supersizing them.

I must go there. I can't stand going to non-corporate Starbucks where they don't have the "short" on offer. It isn't on the menu but if you ask them they have 8 oz cups for drinks.

pairs4life wrote: I can't stand going to non-corporate Starbucks where they don't have the "short" on offer. It isn't on the menu but if you ask them they have 8 oz cups for drinks.

Not just that, that the non-corp doesn't do. And you often don't know until you go to pay, or have already ordered, and there are 47 people in line behind you, that it isn't a corp store!

leek wrote:

pairs4life wrote: I can't stand going to non-corporate Starbucks where they don't have the "short" on offer. It isn't on the menu but if you ask them they have 8 oz cups for drinks.

Not just that, that the non-corp doesn't do. And you often don't know until you go to pay, or have already ordered, and there are 47 people in line behind you, that it isn't a corp store!

Although this is a tangent to the thread title, I guess this is the place to ask it: There are Starbucks stores that look exactly like corporation-owned stores but are actually owned by independent franchisees? I never knew that! (I know of course about the Starbuckses that are located inside Barnes & Nobles and Targets and such, and I assume these are outliers.) Just so I get a fix on this thing, can you give me a couple of locations of Starbucks that look exactly like every other Starbucks but are in fact franchisee-owned?

riddlemay wrote:

leek wrote:

pairs4life wrote: I can't stand going to non-corporate Starbucks where they don't have the "short" on offer. It isn't on the menu but if you ask them they have 8 oz cups for drinks.

Not just that, that the non-corp doesn't do. And you often don't know until you go to pay, or have already ordered, and there are 47 people in line behind you, that it isn't a corp store!

Although this is a tangent to the thread title, I guess this is the place to ask it: There are Starbucks stores that look exactly like corporation-owned stores but are actually owned by independent franchisees? I never knew that! (I know of course about the Starbuckses that are located inside Barnes & Nobles and Targets and such, and I assume these are outliers.) Just so I get a fix on this thing, can you give me a couple of locations of Starbucks that look exactly like every other Starbucks but are in fact franchisee-owned?

I'm not sure exactly how the ownership works (franchise, contract, other) but for instance all Starbucks in airports, and the one in the Chase Bank building in the Loop.

The escargot and guanciale sausage Hot Doug's has been serving this week is so goddamn good it makes me want to punch things.

Gonna brave the Friday line for another one today, it's that good.

I have to go to Hot Doug's. I'm missing out.

Best thing I've had in the last week isn't gourmet, but I have to say, it was the Juicy Lucy at The Anthem. Yes, it's a very frat-style bar, but at 12:30pm on a Saturday before heading to the beach, that burger was TASTY. It has chopped, caramelized onions and a crisp red onion that made all the ooey-gooey cheese even better.

Dinner last night: grilled thick bone-in pork chops from Holzkopf's Meat Market rubbed with Spice House Jamaican Jerk Seasoning; zucchini from the Andersonville Farmers Market; fresh corn from Mendota; peach ice cream made with fruit from the Georgia peach truck. Every bite of this meal rocked.

Holzkopf's Meat Market
6155 N Broadway
Chicago, IL
773-764-0714
http://holzkopfsmeatmarket.com/

A bacon, date, and goat cheese empanada from the 5411 truck on Clark north of Dearborn yesterday. It made up for the disappointment I had from trying to get pho at the Banh Mi Express loop basement location (which is no longer in existence).

The breakfast burrito at Ovie in the Ogilvie Transportation Center. It's just egg, cheese and bacon wrapped in a tortilla, but I think they must sprinkle some ground magic in it because it's fantastic.

a salad at Bad Apple. Seriously. The baby kale and blueberry salad -- baby kale, arugula, blueberry, pickled grape, spiced candied walnut, St Agur blue cheese, blueberry balsamic - was fantastic. And, the $5 small portion was generous. Put this on the menu at Vie, charge $12, and no one blinks an eye. Oh, and their Maxwell Street Porkchop Sandwich was not only awesome, it was also among the messiest things I've eaten (devoured) lately.

Shasson wrote:a salad at Bad Apple. Seriously. The baby kale and blueberry salad -- baby kale, arugula, blueberry, pickled grape, spiced candied walnut, St Agur blue cheese, blueberry balsamic - was fantastic. And, the $5 small portion was generous. Put this on the menu at Vie, charge $12, and no one blinks an eye. Oh, and their Maxwell Street Porkchop Sandwich was not only awesome, it was also among the messiest things I've eaten (devoured) lately.

I had this recently and agree that it was fantastic. The St. Agur blue cheese was in the form of a deep fried cheese ball, where it begins to ooze out when you crack into it. My wife and I were fighting over the last bits of cheese and walnuts and were disappointed that we split the salad rather than getting one for each of us.