Big Sweet Tooth

Mom's in Utah and Baby Whale in Marina...Equal Parts Happiness

Who do you know that drives across country alone and manages to chow down at close to every all-you-can-eat buffet that they come across?  Ummm, me.   So tragic.  What's literally astounding is that I made the trip from Chi to LA in 2 days on all that food.  Legend.

I did get lucky and trip upon a country place called Mom's Cafe somewhere in Utah.  Blueberry sour cream pie, homemade french fries, simple salad bar with the best ranch ever, and these fluffy doozies called scones but were more like funnel cakes doused in soft liquid honey butter.  Reason enough to do a long haul, if you ask me.

Meanwhile, I came back to a WHALE chillin' in the marina channel.  So cool, saw it up close and personal -- and made me so happy you could not smack the smile off my face. She was on her way to Alaska and somehow got sidetracked and now could just be hangin' tight here for the summer.  Has to be one of the neatest things I've ever had show up in my back yard.  How I'm not is as big as that whale is a mystery to me, too.  Bless Mom n Dad, I guess...

Lobster in Nicaragua - Just for You, Dale...

Sometimes it's $5, sometimes $10 -- but just feast your eyes on these big fat lobster found on Little Corn Island.  Dale is heading to LCI soon and is gonna try to hunt down my treasure box I hid a few years back for a Travel Channel show I was doing...and, he's gonna MOW on some lobster.  I will be livin' thru him for sure right about then!  I don't think I've even had lobster since Little Corn, which is nothing but a shame...

Now, Dale...while you are on LCI, you must grab some ropa viejo from the Cuban joint on the beach, as well as some mojitos from Casa Iguana.  Additionally, Paula makes the best flan at her little Italian restaurant and the tamales sold out of a bucket are soft, hot and steaming.  Then, there is the coconut items - pies, bread, etc...that show up everywhere you look and if you happen upon someone selling rondon soup, well...give it a go.  It's fish head soup in coconut milk.  A tradition on the island that takes hours and hours to make.  And, about 2 minutes to slurp down.

Food in Louisville--You'd be Very, Very Surprised...

I've had some of the best food in my belly's career here in Louisville.  The best Vietnamese ever at Vietnam Kitchen (way on the south side); the most delicious $9 tuna sandwich ever at Ramsey's; the biggest and best ice cream cones ever at Dairy Queen; awesome chicken soup and shrimp cocktail at Los Azteca's. 

Just 5 more weeks of exploring and I'm outta here (back to LA til mid Jan...then to Mex and Indo...so happy).  FYI, it's so hard to stray when you find the goods though...but I'll keep tracking down the perfect bites while I'm here.  Who knew Louisville was so dang global?

*F* is for Food (Street, Homemade & Pure)

F is for Food

Food is really the reason I travel.  Sure, I love everything about meeting new people, examining foreign cultures and traditions, and exploring hidden villages, but the usual reason that I'm so intent on hitting the road is for the food.  No way in the world would I trek somewhere that didn't have good food.  No matter how beautiful, how amazing, how incredible the place was.  It's just not what drives me.  The food--which is ultimately the history and soul of a country--is what propels me to hop on a plane or jump in my truck and GET THERE asap.

I usually start with the street food and slowly build my way up to tiny stalls, back-alley restaurants, beachside shacks and ultimately a homemade meal in a locals home.  Anything that doesn't cater to tourists is exactly what I'm looking for and it's most definitely where the best food can be found.   It's the stands, the stalls, the shacks, the rough-hewn firepits, the homemade BBQ grills and the coolers full of warm goodies that are turning out the best grub, bar none.

Everyone always tells me I must have a tummy made of steel.  And, I always laugh because I think the reason I never get sick is because I keep it simple.  I almost never eat the meat (sometimes the juice on rice or a few bites if it looks irresistible).  I eat often and with great voracity.  I stick to the most natural items I can find--those that are closest to the earth.  Rice, corn and lentils are usually in the mix somewhere (be it in Africa, Mexico, Indo, Spain, Greece, Italy, or Tanzania).  I usually spend most of my traveling dollars on food, but very little real dinero is needed when you eat at the kind of places I frequent.

All my travel memories can usually trace a very thin line back to a certain meal.  A freshly caught fish grilled at the beach and a sprinkling of stars. Maybe a stewpot full of bright red soup as a parting gift from a happy new friend.  Or a just-picked vegetables breakfast at a volunteer homestay in Indo.  For me, watching a old fella with rickety pullcart at the bottom of a busy hill somewhere in Indonesia prepare his fried goodies (with great pride and concentration) is deeper satisfaction that watching a master chef  prep food in his all teched out kitchen. 

Food is what makes the world go 'round. It's the one thing everyone on the face of the earth has in common. It breaks language barriers..and when given the proper care and attention, it's the most powerful force in the world.  Clearly I am obsessed with it~~

Nasi Campur...the c is pronounced ch

After a trip like the one I just took, it's hard to figure out where to start, so I'm just gonna go back to my roots and being with food.  There is a dish in Indo called nasi campur (mixed rice) that literally took over my entire train of thought.  I woke up thinking about it, I went to bed thinking about it, I dreamed about it and I even found myself whispering "nasi campur" to not a soul--I just wanted to hear the words over and over again.  I had a favorite warung (eating place) in Balinese village of Candidasa that served it (but all of them do) and I developed a little understanding with the always smiling woman who ran the shop (she didn't speak a lick of English).  I'd come in and grab a huge cold water from the freezer (I needed the whole big bottle not only because it was sweltering but because my selections were so spicy) and while I was searching for the coldest vessel, she'd cone off some wax paper and stuff it with nasi (rice) and whatever veggies she'd whipped up that day.  Then, as I stood patiently and giddily by, she'd toss on a fried egg and maybe a little tempeh or tofu and gently fold up my lunch (all this for 40 cents).  I would bound back to my hotel and wolf the whole thing with my fingers (right hand only) while gazing out at the crashing ocean by the infinity pool.  Besides the village and people of Sembalun, the crazy flavor of this simple dish is what I will miss most about Indo.  Say it with me, "nasi campur"...it just feels so right whispering out of my lips.

San Diego and Baja Fish Tacos...

Winding up my hectic three day Baja jaunt, I found myself back in San Diego on the way to the airport craving what else?  Fish tacos!  Fortunately, just around the corner from the SD airport is Los Ranchos Taco Shop, a tiny six table fast food joint (of course, they serve beer and wine). I made it my final pitstop before hitting the airport and heading back to Chicago.  Their fish tacos were gigantic (and delish) and in typical American style...when I ordered a bag of chips, I was thinking I'd get a small basket ot tortilla chips, but oh no!  Out comes a freaking HUGE sack of chips.  I mean WTF?  Who serves that many chips with a couple of fish tacos?  I had five of them and then flipped them my neighbors way.  He was delighted...Hasta pronto Baja y San Digeo

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~

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.

Baja Fish Tacos Found in LA

A couple of weeks ago, I was out in LA for work and happened to have a severe taste for Baja fish tacos.  Of course, I had no time to swing down across the border, but I did happen to find this little gem locally in Los Angeles.  Hole Mole is a tiny fast-food style fish shack out near Long Beach that has fried fish tacos EXACTLY the way they are made down on the Sea of Cortez--battered and crispy; slightly sweet and flaky; delicious and covered in crema.  I had three of them with some beans and rice and could hardly walk after, but it definitely took care of my violent, cave-man-like craving.  There used to be a place here in Chicago that served them the same way, but they closed down due to lack of business (being on the far south side in no man's land didn't help)...but I'm telling you if someone took a chance and opened up a Baja Fish Taco Joint (and literally, called it that) in a walkable 'hood in Chi, it would be an instantaneous hit~