Our final meal together for the girls' wine-tasting weekend was brunch back in San Francisco at Foreign Cinema. This restaurant also shows movies on the concrete walls at night, but since we were there on a sunny Sunday morning, it was just a relaxed, high-ceilinged sight to see.
Anyone whose been to an In-N-Out Burger knows that the beauty of the quick-service chain is in its simplicity; there's very few things on the menu (hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double, fries, shakes). And it's all quite tasty.
Continue reading "In-N-Out Burger: Mill Valley, California" »
As I was reviewing photos from the lovely afternoon tea at Lockwood in the Palmer House Hilton, I giggled when I saw that I took zero photos of the tea. I took no photos of tea at a tea. What is wrong with me? Nothing. Because the best part of a tea is the scones, sandwiches, and pastries, not the tea, of course!
Is an oil change an excuse to try a new place for brunch? Husband and I think so. The closest Jiffy Lube is right in Andersonville so we parked on a side street one sunny Saturday afternoon and walked until we found a brunch that peaked our interest at Acre Restaurant. Husband liked the number of items on the menu with meat and ordered the Porkburger (yes, Porkburger) at the suggestion of our server. It was Triple S Farms Pork with blueberry jam, lettuce, house-smoked bacon, and pepperjack cheese.
After a string of days where I came home from work and made dinner, I needed a break from cooking, but I still wanted a homemade and healthy dinner. I used some leftover cooked chicken from the night before and "cooked" the taboule as I was getting ready for work that morning (Cooking taboule just requires you to boil water and add the water to a covered bowl of the grain not unlike couscous, but it takes a little longer). When I got home from work, I just threw everything in the bowl, gave it a few quick stirs, and dinner was on the table. I had plenty of time to watch So You Think You Can Dance that night.
Still have any of that mango chutney leftover? Perfect because you can use it (and some cooked chicken if you have it). This is great but kind of sweet. Make sure that your cherries do not have sugar added, or you'll want to eat this as a dessert. Or better yet, substitute cranberries for the cherries. Enjoy as a main course or a side dish.
Since moving to our home with a (small) yard and a larger deck, Husband discovered his green thumb. He's put it to use growing cucumber, eggplant, and an array of our favorite herbs. And with the herbs slowly becoming our own version of Little Shop of Horrors, we're feeling the need to use lots of them in our recipes. This light summer dinner originally called for tarragon instead of marjoram, but since we are rich with this herb, a new recipe was born. The crazy, stacked-sandwich job? That's all me and my weird creativity.
Continue reading "Open-faced Crab Marjoram Salad Sandwich (AKA the Staked CLT)" »
Husband and I only spent one of our many European meals in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Bratislava is a short one-hour train ride away from Vienna (once you find the train station, of course).
When Husband and I finally got around to trying Real Kitchen, a catering and heat-it-yourself quick service cafe in our old neighborhood (or close), I was disappointed (just for a minute) that we didn't live closer. The food is fresh, and they make it right onsite. The chefs are seriously great, experienced at some of the best restaurants in Chicago (Trotter's, North Pond) and the world (Noma in Copenhagen, El Bulli in Barcelona). I only have a photo of the a-mazing lemon cupcakes that topped off our meal.
Continue reading "Real Kitchen: Uptown/Ravenswood, Chicago" »
Ever since we moved last winter, we're not hurting for restaurants within walking distance of our home. But that certainly doesn't mean that we aren't super happy to see new places open. Such is the case with Marmalade, which moved in a few weeks back. Goodness knows a new breakfast place is necessary in every neighborhood because brunch is becoming Chicagoans favorite eat-out meal. Marmlade is open for breakfast and lunch every day, and though the feel of the place is "nice diner," the menu has unique twists on the usual offerings and stresses fresh and local ingredients. There are many indulgent items on both the breakfast and lunch menus, but I opted for the slightly less damaging Harvest Salad (greens, jicama, nectarine, beets, grape tomatoes, pecans, dried cherries, and gorgonzola).
