Big Sweet Tooth

Wild Oats Blueberry and Almond Granola Made a Mess Outta Me

I kid you not when I say that this jar was almost full 2 days ago.  What happened?  Well, I had some vino and proceeded to mow on handful after glorious handful of Wild Oats Blueberry Granola.  You have never had granola like this...not even Milk & Honey or Bear Naked compares.  It's got this caramely, cookie dough taste--with little hits of toasted oats, crunchy almonds, and sweet blueberries.  When I was in the store the other day, I was ravenous, so I opened my small container (while choosing my wine, mind you) and ate almost the whole thing.  I had to go back for a big container!  I even let the stunned (but ultimately happy) cashier taste mine...I needed someone to understand my rapture at that moment.  She felt it, I could tell.  Get some at Wild Oats in Evanston...it's tucked on a small table over by the bakery.

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~

Grabbin' a Bite at the Georgian Bakery on Devon

I have become somewhat obsessed with Discovery Channels' phenomenal new series Planet Earth. Filmed over the course of five years, this stunning television show has me completely captivated every Sunday night. I tend to perch gape-jawed on the edge of my seat (Mexican hot chocolate in hand), watching a ravenous pride of lions take down an ancient elephant or, even better, witnessing green grass grow at the iciest ends of the earth.

This past Sunday's episode featured so many segments with animals slaughtering other animals that I swear I don't know if I can ever touch meat again. Ever seen a wild wolf chow down on a fluffy, chirping baby goose? It's just so damn tragic.

That being said, I'm sticking to the basics from here on out, going with easy meals like the goodies at the Argo Georgian Bakery in Little India. This gem of a storefront, which looks centuries-old, has been a longtime favorite, so when I happened to stroll by it recently, I wandered in to see if anything had changed. Nope.

Nuevo Leon Pandaria in Pilsen~Hello Sweet Heaven!

One of my favorite 'hoods in Chi is Pilsen and it has a lot to do with the panaderia's that populate every single vibrant street corner.  You can barely walk down 18th St. without catching a whiff of bread baking, sweets cooling off or coffee brewing. Good lord at what those smells do to the mindframe.  One of the very best is Nuevo Leon (not the restaurant, but the bakery), just a few doors down from Mundial Cocina Mestiza.  The place is literally a palace of sugar.  From creamy cheese and fruit stuffed pastries, to gigantic whipped topping covered chocolate cupcakes, every single item that lines the stack of trays toward the back looks like it came straight out of cake and cookie heaven. All items are cheap to boot (you won't find a $4 cupcake in this casa) and you'd do best to buy a giant sack of goodies every time you stop by.  Trust me...they go down fast and furious!

Summer in the City Comes Early {From The Raving Dish}

This has been the most brutal winter spell of all time, I think. For the first time, I've finally been forced to drop hundreds of dollars on proper "extreme arctic weather" long johns and fleece pullovers. It's all about Patagonia in my world, because after loading up on a handful of their most high-tech goodies, I can happily say that I am properly insulated.
Now that I'm all toasty, I can once again stomach the idea of a walk along the lake. I can let my truck actually warm up instead of just starting it and taking off with a bleed-out of fumes because I can't handle the chill for two minutes. And, most excitedly, I can joyfully accept the idea of ice cream melting in my mouth again. We all know that ice cream = summer, which leaves me convinced that there's no better time than the dark, dreary depths of winter to experience the glorious notion that it will all end soon. I say, let there be ice cream all year round!

Pilsen & BomBon = Pure Happiness

Strolling through Pilsen is one of my all-time favorite ways to kill some time. The quirky South Side neighborhood is always slinging up new shops and cafes, each with their own unique specialty (pork, sweets, beef, tamales, tortillas), and I haven't even rounded the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eating out in this spirited, still-on-the-cheap-side 'hood.
Though I'm completely in love with the blaring Mexican music, the enticing scent of char-grilled meat wafting from open windows, the friendly hello in a stranger's eye and the simplicity of a real working class neighborhood, one of Pilsen's best features is BomBon.

One More Round of Paul Bakery

I got an email (with lovely wrap party photos) today from Alaina, one of the best PA's I've ever had.  She worked with me side-b y-side in Spain for almost 2 months and was my partner-in-crime when it came to my daily Paul Bakery runs.  As soon as early afternoon hit, we'd know it was ready for a run to Paul, the best bakery in Barcelona.  Thank God it was just around the corner from our hotel/production office--this chocolate treat (photo, right) was one of my favorites and I can honestly say that I tried every single sweet, baked good, tart, cake, and flaky breaded thingy in the case.  At lunchtime, they would whip out these awesome salads and sandwiches and I'd get so excited every day to pick out a new round of desserts for the office---I promise, this is the last time I'm talking about Paul, but just, really---thanks, Alaina for  the flashback...

Battle of the Brownies {From the Raving Dish}

It seems I always walk that very fine line between good and bad. I can go weeks and weeks on an internal high, created completely by aimless walks about town, white-hot yoga sessions, loads of smoothies and not an ounce of sugar in sight. Then I fall off the wagon and somehow manage to plow through vats of gooey cakes, cookies and candies like the curly-headed female version of Willy Wonka at the Chocolate Factory. Just like that, all my good intentions are out the door and I'm back to square one; a very fat and sassy square one, mind you.

Needless to say, after a week of smart eating and mad exercising, I was walking home from one of my sweaty Bikram yoga classes when I sashayed past a 7-11. I had noticed the last time I was in there that it was hawking some mighty fudgy brownies by the front register, and the image of that hulking piece of chocolate had seared itself into the back of my skull. Especially because the cost was a mere $1.39 and good ol' 7-11 is always open for late night cravings. I decided to give it a go.

El Trigal Bakery @ Tres Leches Cake

Though I am on the road for another month, this is the latest dispatch from The Raving Dish:

Some folks love booze; some folks crave a salty bag of chips; and some folks jones for a long drag off a dirty cigarette. I'm the girl who can't say no to sweets. It doesn't matter how many Bikram yoga classes I sweat through, how many city blocks I traipse, or how many miles I pump away on my bike, I'm always gonna say yes to dessert.

Bridging the gap between my raging sweet tooth and my love for all things Mexican hasn't been the easiest. There are little pockets of Mexico splattered across town every which way you turn, but not many have the sort of sugar fix I crave. I'm not into the dry-as-sand buns that usually turn up in south-of-the-border bakeries. I'm into the soaking wet wonder known as tres leche cake and that genuinely perfect coffee dunker, the freshly baked, fruit-filled pastry.

Sugarland~

Though I spent the entire weekend working, I somehow managed to eat more sweets in 48 hours than I have in all of 2006.  I partook in no less that a half dozen croissants (some plain, a few glazed with sugar and  my favorite, the ones stuffed with chocolate and sprinkled with powdered sugar); buttery crepes smeared with oodles of honey and a squeeze of lemon; double chocolate tart; sugar-sprinkled churros (fresh from the gigantic vat of oil bubbling in the background) AND bigger mama churros stuffed with dulce de leche; pistachio and coconut gelato with a little wafer cookie; and then the  motherload that went down today--a giant brownie (with nuts and raisins) and creamy vanilla gelato.  Man, I've gotta get a handle on this addiction and fortunately, I think I have totally OD'ed on the sugar.  I was walking to get some dinner earlier and saw an apple pastry in a brightly lit window---I could have hurled.  It's a new day, kids---it's a new day~

Zephyr Ice Cream Desserts

Since I talked about it so much in my past few postings, I think I have to actually do a post about it.  This is the insanely delicious brownie dessert at Zephyr called The Pyramid.   When I am truly craving gooey, chocolaty, mad-rich dessert, this is the one I'm craving.  I feel like Zephyr makes their own ice cream and it's always perfectly ice-flaked and sooooo cold (you know how some ice cream just tastes warm?).  The Pyramid is layered with a lightly warm, nut-filled brownie, thick hot fudge, a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream, big squirts of whipped cream and a cherry, of course.  I will also say that the warm apple pie with ice cream is homemade and delicious and in the summertime, they have the best strawberry shortcake around---with loads of super-sweet strawberries.
***Off topic, the kitchen also whips out some killer vegetarian chili cheese fries (which are almost as good as the ones at Pick Me Up).

Sweet Mandy B's {From Reelchicago}

Funny:  Today is a day where I was craving a Sweet Mandy B day (meaning full-on shove down of every super sweet in sight) and I actually quelled that sweet tooth at Zephyr's (with a gigantic dessert brownie/ice cream called The Pyramid)...but then I come home to see one of my old Raving Dishes slung up on reelchicago.  It's just crazy that my editor over there would choose this one from the archives today of all days.  I guess Sweet Mandy B's is on everyones mind these days:  Here is the yummy article.
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There is nothing in the world like real desserts, made in a down-home kitchen and Sweet Mandy B’s at 1208 W. Webster is the happiest, warmest, most delicious old-fashioned comfort shop in Chicago.

Cold Comfort Cafe Cheesecake~For the Birds, or Not?

This summer, I had one of the best cheesecakes I'd ever put in my mouth; wet, sour creamy, thick with flavor and situated squarely on a cookie crumb crust.  I've daydreamed about it many times since, but never made it back to Cold Comfort Cafe & Deli on North Ave. for another round til this weekend.  I raved on and on and on about it to my bud Chez and demanded that we get there (all the way across town) before closing so she too could taste one of the finest cheesecakes around (finding the good stuff is harder than you'd imagine).  We got there about 10 minutes til closing and much to the chagrin of the employees, ordered a half slice ($2.50 only).  I was so excited, just giddy with anticipation...until my first bite.  Uh-oh!  I could tell that it had been in the refrigerated case just a day or two too long. I was totally devastated as I pushed the plate back to the middle of the table, in total despair. (Chez was plain ole pissed~)  I mentioned it to the waitress and she did something totally cool--she copped to knowing that it tasted like the fridge.  What the heck!  I give her props for admitting it, but come on, if you know it, toss it, love.  And, if it weren't sooooo damn good, I'd probably give up on the place forever, but because I remember that glorious summertime discovery, I'm gonna give them another go, on another day.  Maybe it was just a one time thing, you know?  That's what I'm rooting for, at least~

Yeah~Sweet Table Opens its Doors

Sweet Table. The name alone says it all, and I've been waiting months for this one to open. When I first saw the big ol' sign go up on a restaurant-heavy strip of Lincoln Avenue, my eyes doubled in size. All that was penetrating my noggin' was, "What the heck is a sweet table and how do I get a seat?" (Keep in mind, I'm a sweet freak and literally blew off seeing the Mona Lisa in Paris so I could make it to what was rumored to be a small shop selling the best macaroons in all of France. Don't worry, I did eventually make it to see her [a very small painting, if you haven't been], but fondly remember more about France from that heavenly macaroon sampling, that's for sure.)

That said, you can see why my saucers lit up in sheer delight when I noticed not only the grand-opening-soon sign, but the close proximity to my home and office. (Sweet Mandy B runs get to be a bit hectic at the I-need-a-sugar-rush-hour.) After a hefty wait, the doors finally opened to Sweet Table last week and I plowed straight through the front door pronto.

Pretzel Contest: Hannah's Bretzel v. Auntie Annie's

A few weeks ago, one of my partners in crime, Jamie, raced into our office wielding a small brown menu and a set of wild, excited eyes. She was raving about Hannah's Bretzel, the new organic pretzel shop that had just opened downtown. She tossed the menu at me and practically demanded that I get there right away.

"You're gonna love it," she claimed, pointing out its organic ingredients and the thick slathers of butter draping each bretzel (German version of a pretzel). Well, I kept that little menu (and the image of a soft, chewy pretzel) on my desk for weeks until a particularly grueling work day forced me to race out of the office (avoiding all responsibility) and head downtown (in rush hour traffic, no less) to give the supposed pretzel nirvana a go.

Back on Sweet Mandy B's~From The Raving Dish

So, I have a cute little food blog called Big Sweet Tooth and there's this feature on the program that runs it which lets me check the statistics. In other words, I can click on the specified tab and it opens up a little box that tells me how many people logged on and where they found me (i.e. what search engine they used and what their entry was).

There have been some google search doozies that I can't even go in to (imagine big and sweet and some other nasty, nasty things) but the single most requested google search that leads folks to my site is for Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes. I have an entry on BST about my gnarly addiction to them and apparently, I'm not alone.

DQ Blizzard: You Can't Go Wrong

After driving 7,000 miles round trip from Chicago to the very tip of Baja, I can officially announce the one fast food that never varies on the road is the legendary Blizzard from Dairy Queen.  I'd say I probably had a cool dozen Snickers Blizzards on the trip and every single time, they tasted identical;  thick and gooey (from the frozen caramel in the Snickers) and utterly explosive in my mouth.  Nothing tasted better in the desert heat (or caused me to pass out faster) than this DQ treat.
God love 'em (and the salty waitresses that understood the words "EXTRA CHOCOLATE SAUCE."

Seduced By Cupcakes

There is no treat quite like a cupcake.  Pretty to look at, small enough to shove down in one fell swoop, and evoker of all good childhood memories; what more could you ask for in a dessert?  This little treasure makes it so easy to get woozy off the scent and high off the sugar...just one after another after another AND somehow, there is no guilt involved~
The best place in Chicago for homemade, super-moist cupcakes is Sweet Mandy B's.  I have tried almost all other bakeries around and none even compare to her delicate rendition.  My fave is the vanilla but chocolate is an easy fill-in when needed!

The Perfect Chocolate Pastry

I've frantically made my way back to the Ba Le Bakery four times this week alone (fielding scores of traffic, pelting rain, and not a lick of parking, mind you).  Clearly, I've got a bit of an addiction going on here.  Now they know what to do when I walk in--just bag up the goods, kiddo.
I always try to take just a few bites or even wait til I get home to dig in, but it never works~I wolf the whole thing down before I'm even back to my truck, daydreaming about the next one while I'm at it.  What the heck are the Vietnamese doing to make this pastry so mind-bogglingly delicious?  It's this seductive mix of buttery, dense pastry and super rich, chewy chocolate. Bottom line, there is no other bakery here in Chicago that can touch Ba Le's version of a chocolate croissant.