Big Sweet Tooth

Back to Shan Grocery for a Bunch of Goodies~

Last week, I spent a whole lot of time revisiting some of my favorite haunts, ones I've not been to in eons.  One of the best is Shan Grocery.  I hadn't been there in months and months and since my last visit, they've gone and created a whole new restaurant.  Used to be, it was just a tiny cafeteria in the back of a dusty convenience store, but now they have a connecting doorway that leads to a brand spanking new dining room.  Though it was just me eating, I couldn't help but order two entrees and three appetizers.  The prices are so cheap (I got out of there for $16 bones) and the food is just so tasty, I have to sample everything.  These chubby little meat-stuffed eggrolls are my favorite of all time ($1 each).  Crispy, flavorful and filling, they're the perfect snack.  You can buy them up front in a glass case by the sweet counter, too, just in case you don't have time for a full sit down.
Shan Grocery and Restaurant
5060 N. Sheridan
*Look for the slew of cabbies and strip mall.  It's tucked in the corner~

Sailing is back on in Chicago...

Finally, the weather is back on track and you all know what that means!  MST is back in the game...Me and Lisa took the boat out today for hours and it was nothing short of awesome.  There were light winds and loads of sun, so we just lolled around at an easy clip and got sunburned.  I got all my new cushions put in, which I love!  The yellow cushions that I had recovered in the cabin are so cute and I got navy cockpit cushions from Bottomsiders and they make the cockpit so much cozier.  Both totally-worth-it investments and I am hating the fact that sailing season is over in a few months...it really makes my stomach churn.  Or that could be all the mouthwatering food I just wolfed down at La Unica~

Hi, My Name is Chicago: Please Take Advantage of Me

Every Wednesday, I get an indispensable magazine in the mail entitled:  Time Out Chicago.  You must know it, si?
I love this mag; I freelance for this mag; I, however, DO NOT take advantage of this mag.
Man, there is so much going on every week in Chi, I am totally overwhelmed.  I barely make it thru the issue before
the next one comes and I realize I've missed all events listed due to my stay-at-home-and-drink nature, so, here's what I'm going to do...
every Wednesday (mmm-hmmmm), I'm gonna plow thru the glossy pages of TOC and figure out what I'd really take advantage of...if given the time/energy/money/fore-warning/gumption (none of which I seem to have when it comes right down to it).
I start off so inspired to rip into some new events/restaurants/deals, and then outta no where...I'm back at Los Niches tucking into a bowl of Chicken soup...or out sailing on pretty Lake Michigan....or taking care of a sharp edge by
participating in Gruppo di Amici's 1/2 price glass of wine on Tuesday's deal.  No more!  I will dissect this mo-fo stat and let it be known exactly what I am missing--every week on the week....
Let's start with the issue I just got today....here are the jewels I've pulled for your no-show pleasure:

1.  The Family Guy Live on Sept 15 at The Chicago Theater (p. 13):  One word--Stewey

2.  La Oaxaquena (p. 32):  The photo of a full-on deep fried fish at this Oaxacan restaurant looks just about good enough to eat. 

3.  CJ's Eatery (p. 35):  I'm loving the idea of banana bread pudding with peanut butter anglaise.

4. Cuban Island (p.36):  Minty mojitos and ropa vieja are what dreams are made of.  I'm still trying to find the best mojito in Chicago--the one with the CRUSHED ice.  Perhaps this joint has it?

5.  Sabri Nehari (p. 36):  Please just read the food review.  This is my next pitstop for sure.

6.   Tents (p.44):  I cannot believe I haven't been camping this summer.  I mean, its only been either 106 and sweating buckets or pouring rain.  Go figure.

7.  Wheaton All-Night Flea Market (p.47):  a/  Why have I never heard of this and b/ Where is Wheaton?

8.  Spa Forever (p. 50):  So, first timers get any hour long service for a paltry $49.  Nice.

9.  Chicago Outdoor Film Festival (p. 52):  Great! It's the last show of the season.  Dude, summer is over!

10.  Hamsa-Fest (p. 55):  I'd go for the African fair-trade coffee, the Moroccan tea and the Arabic eats alone...the global music is a bonus.

11. Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest (p. 56):  You'll want to come to this tidy little fest just so you can visit the Pilates Chicago booth where I will be...touting my upcoming Pilates retreat in glorious Mexico.

12.  The Field Museum (p. 66):  Darwin and the Galapagos.  I mean, what's not to love?

13.  Chicago Printmakers Collaborative (p. 72):  I love printmakers and the creative genius of it all.  I wish I had some sort of skill.  One I could sell.

14. The 11th Hour (p. 92):  Because I just wanna see it.

That snazzy list sums up everything that I'd wanna see/do this week in Chicago...but be forewarned, I will most likely not partake in a single one.
I suck, I really suck.

Pho Hoa and a Mess of Vietnamese BBQ (sorta)

Even with all the rain pouring down this week, I managed to partake in a plethora of banner meals. Several were so good I went back twice within 36 hours. Topping the list of note-worthy dishes are the BBQ ribs I ordered by chance at Pho Hoa, an always-bustling Vietnamese diner in a narrow stripmall in the heart of Uptown. I braved the chaotic parking lot in front so I could hit up a nearby Vietnamese grocery store. They hawk the prime ingredients (fresh mint and tiny sugar rocks) in my current addiction, delicious Moroccan gunbarrel tea, and I love scouring its aisles for exotic ingredients.

After I strolled out of the grocery store, I figured I'd best get some lunch, and Pho Hoa's convenient proximity landed me inside. Once, a few years ago, my intrepid dining pal Lisa and I had a funky batch of pho and vowed never to touch the stuff again. But with the rain and all, I couldn't seem to get it out of my mind: the slurping noodles, heady broth, crisp bean sprouts, fresh lime and butter-soft chunks of meat all floating languidly, just waiting to be divvied up on a giant ceramic spoon and attacked.

Trips, Trips, Trips

So, I've been working on a list of my next big trips.  Sadly, but happily, there are so many new journeys I need to take, but some shine a little brighter than others.  You've probably read about how I'm going back to Indonesia in a few months, so that is one...and then, there is my Pilates retreat on Isla Mujeres, Mexico in February.  Well, then I have a pal getting married in Germany next summer, so that one is a for sure...and if I'm in Germany, I might as well hit up Italy--this time Sicily.  OK, getting past those already planned trips, I'm looking to go to Colombia and Panama soon for coffee trails and Spanish lessons; I'd love to jet over to Nosy Be, Madagascar for some scuba (once I learn in Indo, of course); Turkey and Montenegro are HIGH on the list...Turkey for sailing and Montenegro for vino; then there is Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam...that trip is all about herbal remedies and deeper spirituality; of course, I gotta trek the Great Wall of China sometime soon and ride horses in Mongolia--those have just been on the list forever.  Ahh, I'm deliriously exhausted now....just so much...so much...and man, I haven't even mentioned the food...
*The photo is from earlier this year in Zanzibar by the way---that escapade was all about snorkeling, spice farms and little fried goodies...

Flourish Bakery has the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Around

I am always (re: desperately) on the hunt for the best cookies around.  I might have found them.  There is a super-cute bakery on Bryn Mawr called Flourish and I just so happened in there one day this week when I was at a real sugar low.  They'd just brought out a batch of fresh baked cookies (everything from chocolate chip to oatmeal to peanut butter) and I promptly ordered up a choco chip and a squishy looking brownie to go.  As I eagerly hurried across the street to my double-parked truck, I couldn't help but slyly dunk my hand in the sack and rip of a chunk of cookie...and brownie...oh, the bliss.  The cookie, especially.  It was exactly the way a real cookie should be...super soft with an ever so slight crisp around the edge.  Both treats were washed down with ice water in a matter of minutes and I was happy as a clam and back on the move...mission accomplished and now, I feel sorry for every other cookie out there~

Whole Grain Pizza on the Back Porch...

After a whirlwind day of eating and drinking yesterday, today was a make-a-pretty-pizza in my own home kind of day.  I was up at the crack of dawn to get my new cushions for the boat, and after meeting my sewing expert at the boat, Lis and I jammed down to Little Italy to partake in Sweet Maple Cafe's biscuits and gravy.  Gotta tell ya, that place has gone downhill.  Oh, it's still charming but the staff seems lost and the food came out cold.  Our sweet waitress remade the food, but still...it put a damper on the glory of the morning.  No worries, though...after hitting up the Evanston farmer's market (ah, the blackberries, blueberries and white nectarines are at their prime), I went straight home and  dolled up a whole grain pizza crust with olive oil, cheddar cheese, fresh basil and peppers from my little back porch garden and sweet tomatoes from the market.  What a simple and beautiful little creation.  So fresh, healthy and inspiring.  I then proceeded to dunk each slice into a vat of ranch dressing...shame on me, I guess, but I'm blaming it all on the rain...the never ending rain...

Los Niches: Chicken Soup at its finest...

Sweet Jesus...I am obsessed with Los Niches and their chicken soup.  It's a tiny, family-owned Colombian restaurant on North Clark that keeps the prices low, the portions huge and the atmosphere cozy and simple.  I cruised over there earlier in the week knowing that Monday was pollo soup day and I was not disappointed.  They serve each heaping bowl ($5.95) with a huge scoop of rice, sliced avocado, salsa verde and fresh limes.  I also tend to order a handmade arepa con queso ($2) with mine, though I can never eat it all.  I have never had bites of food this good, this utterly mouthwatering.  So made-from-scratch; so rustic; so easy-on-the-eyes....Fall is on the way, and this is the soup that will help you make it through those long, cold days.

MST on the road is the way it shoud be...

I belong on the road, in the air, or on a boat.  It's just that simple. To be in any of those circumstances is the very core of my wanderlust soul and it's what makes me happiest and propels me directly into my perfect MST element.  Man, it's like I turn around and catch a glimpse of my life and wonder the the heck I am doing with myself.  Sure, accomplishments are made left and right (which is AWESOME), but them I hit a wall...or rather, I get caught up in something else and sort of abandon the original plan.  I have no examples for you...they're just there.  I know them intimately and I know what I'm capable of...and though I will admit, I do look damn good on paper, it's the feelings that are flowing around in my soul that tend to get ignored and shoved aside and at times, left behind.  No mas.  Tonight I start Spanish class...ok--I guess I'll toss out an example.  So, I'm taking 8 weeks worth of Spanish class here in the city--once per week at Spanish Horizons.  That is all great, but REALLY what I am fully obsessing about is straight-up leaving the USA and driving in my trusty SUV all the way down the the very tip of Panama so I can pick coffee beans, perfect the cortado and smoke a sweet cigarillo (though I don't smoke) whilst knocking off the Spanish lessons in a really dusty, really rural environment.  I mean, GOD!!!  MST, why not just be content with the 1:45 lesson that is happening tonight?  One more cuba libre and I just might be.  It's early, the day is young...PS--the photo is my ziplineing in Nicaragua.  Mucho gusto.

Born Cooking: Barcelona + Pipe Dreams

Last year, I spent months in Barcelona working on America's Next Top Model.  When I wasn't hunkered down in the production office, I was off wandering the narrow streets of this always seductive city.  One of my favorite areas by bar was the Barrio Gothico.  I would spend hours lolling about, slowly absorbing every nook and cranny in the ever-changing landscape of this eclectic 'hood (re: getting happily lost every other turn).  I have yet to find an American city that enchants me the way foreign cities do.  Many are like big city/small villages and the majority of peeps hush puppy their way from place to place, as opposed to the insane neck-and neck grind I'm loathing more and more every day.  I used to saunter by Born Cooking, an adorable, teensy bakery/cafe all the time and I'd just stand outside the front window, silently pawing the fresh baked goods inside. Lately, I've been waxing poetic about ditching all things urban and heading off to some small village to open a lively cafe.  Really, you only live once and I think I need to spend a good chunk of time here in the very near future attempting the impossible...or what most consider "pipe dreams."  More on that endeavor soon~

Babycakes: New York City

Last time I was in NYC (just a few months ago),  made a beeline for Babycakes, the perfect little cupcake haven.  I'd heard all about their moist, creamy gluten-free desserts and I was gonna get some no matter how jam-packed my sked was.  Me and a sugar-hungry pal scrammed all the way down to the East Side one sunny afternoon and made like banditas...there were fluffy cupcakes, chewy brownies, and big round cookies all chomped down within a matter of minutes.  Were they as good as the real thing (circa Sweet Mandy B's in Chicago)--that's a negative.  We're they dreamy and mouthwatering and exactly what I needed to hit the no-gluten-allowed spot?  You better believe it, cookie dough~

Happy-Go-Lucky-Misty

All the things in the world that are making me happy right now.
1.  The knowledge that very soon I will be back on the tiny Mexican island of lovely Isla Mujeres.  I'm working on putting together a Pilates retreat there in Feb., so as all the little details are being tended to now, I'm literally fantasizing about cold marg's, colorful snorkeling and mad, sweaty pilates.  Love it all.
2.  Meerkat Manor.  I'm sorry, but this is the best show on telly right now.  They all look just like my mom's little pup and are so freaking cute.  I also LOVE Damages....and of course Rock of Love.
3.  The fact that I have a week off and am going nowhere but here (Chi).  I'm gonna go straight bananas and tackle every single outstanding item on my centuries old to do list.  Getting all that shizz done will make me one happy camper.
4.  Ahhh, remember all the plants I potted a few months back?  Well, my back porch is overrun with cukes, peppers and herbs galore.  Sadly, my mom gave me a deformed tomato plant that is 20 ft. tall yet has yielded one, yes ONE, tiny green tomato.  WTF?  Everything else though is coming up roses and makes me feel like king of the world that I have actually grown my own food!  Neat.
5.  Still the boat.  Always the boat.
6.  Starting my Spanish lessons next week.  I mean, how the hell can one expect to get by without knowing this language?  Yah, I do speak a tiny bit of combat Spanish, but man, to be able to actually rock a hard-core convo.  Powerful.
7.  The new 80 gig Ipod my mom got me.  I'm going a little berserk with new songs for it.  I've also discovered some interesting podcasts and boating videos that I've tossed on there.  There is just not enough time in the day for all there is to see and do in this lifetime.
That's all for now.  Back to Meerkat~~

My Love: A Swiss Army Knife

This Swiss Army knife is the most useful tool I've ever had the pleasure of handling.  I haul it with me everywhere I go:  from my truck to the boat to the cafe at work, I whip it out religiously when something needs trimming, unlocked, cut down, shaved off, sliced up, uncorked, etc...It's masterful at slicing up fresh lime for cuba libres; uncorking bottles of vino on long road trips; scraping off stickers from random locations on the boat; carving out grapefruit and halving sandwiches at work; screwing off bolts and locks on pesky items in the galley; and a myriad of other uses.  I love its purple/blue color, the weight of its body in my hands, and the power it provides me in almost every situation.  Swiss...get one.

Savoring Summertime {From The Raving Dish}

Summer is in full effect, and I've barely cooked a lick of food at home. I blame all the pretty outdoor patios, the cool, air-conditioned restaurants and the refreshing, icy cold drinks that seem to be every which way I turn. I've been finding and rediscovering deliciousness across the board; bites and sips of food that literally make my face melt with pleasure the second they hit my lips. That level of satisfaction is pretty tough to come by, so get out there while the weather still smiles upon us and enjoy.

Uber Burger
This tiny hamburger haven has every element down exactly the way it should be: char-grilled burgers with just-right, half soft, half crispy bacon and oozing cheese; hand-cut fries with a side of creamy ranch and ketchup; crispy onion rings; thick, crazy-sweet milkshakes; and a side of reggae music pounding out of the sound system. Everything on the menu comes cheap, the waitstaff is incredibly helpful and courteous, and, as my pal Brad yelped after his first bite of burger on a recent visit, "This place blows Hamburger Mary's away!" Sad but true, Mary.

Diving in Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is totally luminous and so is the city of Chicago.  It can be utterly breathtaking, especially when you are absorbing it from the middle of the lake after you've dove in from the bow of a sailboat.  The lake was so eerily placid this past week, I could literally stop the boat and not move...it was enough to where I had to not worry about dropping anchor...it's so very bizarre and amazing to witness.  I've been spending quite a bit of time on the boat, just to escape the heat of the city (lots of diving off the side like a banshee and snorkeling under the keel to check out what the hell is going on under the surface).  For this photo, I was just clinging to the swim ladder, gently lolling about a mile or so offshore.  It was ethereal to see all the other sailors just swaying, barely moving an inch and the waves slowly rolling in tiny cascades.  And, all that purple heat...so heavy~

Tamale Lust (From CS 7/31/07)

Though you might not know it, tamale sleuths abound in Chicago. The devoted bunch tracks down the most memorable packet of masa dough they can get. These bundles of flavor date back to ancient times (5000 BC, to be exact), when they were hand-slapped with fillers like tadpole, ox, gopher and bees. Today tamales come snugly steamed in a compact shell with pork, chicken or chile and cheese. Everyone thinks they know the choicest place to get the goods, but we've tried them all and know a fine tamale when we taste one.

Tamales You Wish You Knew How to Make: That Little Mexican Cafe (Edgewater)
Though the restaurant has a gentrified feel, its steadfast kitchen busts out some tamale winners. Ordered either as an appetizer or a full dinner, the thick vegetarian tamales come doused in a tart green sauce and a sweet red mole. After your first bite of the red, you'll shoot a look that'll make the chef swell with pride: an outright deer-caught-in-the-headlights gaze full of pure happiness. Coupled with a stout blended daiquiri and a basket or two of chips and salsa, these yuppy tamales will surprise you with how much joy they bring to your lips.