eat.repeat

The end of fall, and some lunch

2011-11-30T20:00:00.001-05:00

What a difference a few weeks make. I feel like I just broke out my boots and tights for fall. And then nature goes and dumps a few hours worth of snow on us. It was wet and gloomy and miserable. I've been out of commission with strep throat for a few days. Tuesday I took a nap around noon and woke to a white winter wasteland out my window. I did not regret that final sick day.

I bought a new camera recently, the Nikon D7000. I'm thrilled with the purchase so far but haven't gotten around doing much shooting. The camera's low light capabilities really helped me make my choice. I've gotten to shoot with it at one concert so far and the high iso options were great (also helpful for some recent burger photos.) So I'm going to try and do some regular Bloomington lunch posts just to keep in the groove of writing about and shooting my food.

I eat out for lunch quite a bit. On a good day I have Katy for company. This is a typical lunch at uber popular Village Deli. It's right across the street from work so, while the food is good (not great,) it's convenient enough to be a regular spot for us. Plus you can order from the breakfast or lunch menu and I'm all about the options.

My typical order is the Spinach Scramble, sans onion. It's a simple egg scramble with bacon, swiss cheese, and spinach. Deep fried home fries on the side. Add a few glugs of cholula hot sauce and you've got a nice meal for a rainy day.

If you follow the blog by RSS feed, last week you may have seen a little preview of a post I'm finishing up, pickled serrano peppers. I accidentally hit publish instead of save, oops! But it's coming, long overdue I know. Summer already feels so far away.

Chicago - Hot Dougs Redux

2011-11-14T13:00:00.000-05:00

I love Hot Doug's. This was only my second visit despite multiple trips to Chicago in the last few years, mostly due to the long lines and general inconvenience. But I'd been planning this trip out to Avondale for months. It didn't take much to convince Carly to come with, her two year experiment as a vegetarian was foiled by a too-tempting hot dog. Last minute we coerced my parents into tagging along (aka, do the driving) and they sure were glad they did. Carly and I were especially happy to avoid the ~hour commute by public transit. Despite the hour and a half wait everyone loved their hot dogs, it was by far the most memorable meal of our vacation.

While we were waiting an ice cream truck pulled up and I thought "genius idea, this dude is going to do great with all people waiting patiently in line." But nope, it seemed most of the queue was saving their appetites for gourmet sausage. Carly was one of the few to give in to the icy temptation. She chose a bomb pop even though there were dozens of other more interesting treats on the menu.

Ribeye Steak Sausage with Chimichurri, Ardagh Wine Cheese and Crispy Fried Onions

The four of us each picked a sausage plus a few extras and passed them around. This was Carly's main sausage. The encased meat was beefy and substantial with a tangy chimichurri and delicately crisp fried onions. And so pretty with the mottled pink and cream wine cheese.

Swedish Potato Sausage with Dill Mustard and Horseradish Havarti Cheese

This was mom's pick and it was delicious. The potato sausage was particularly tender, more give, less snap to the casing. Quite a bit better than the potato sausage I had at Ann Sather. The horseradish cheese added a nice kick to the mild sausage.

Burgundy and Orange Pork Sausage with Roasted Garlic Aioli and Cheese-Stuffed Hot Peppers

Definitely our least favorite sausage of the day. The gring on the meat was pretty coarse, leaving the sausage unpleasantly tough and chunky. Unfortunately the orange just seemed to intensify the gamey-ness of the pork. The aioli was quite good and so were the cheesy hot peppers, but the elements just didn't work together.

Cheddar Cheese Pork Sausage with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce and Vintage Farmhouse Cheese

We had no complaints, this one was super tasty. One change I noticed from my visit in 2009, the cheese on the dogs seems to be cubed a bit smaller and there seems to be less of it. I definitely approve, the sausages are easier to eat and the cheese rarely overpowers the meat.

The Dog

Classic, awesome. Great snap on the hot dog! And so cheap, just $2. It was Carly's favorite of the day. It's a classic for a reason, and Hot Doug's does it especially well. You choose how the dog is cooked - steamed, grilled, deep fried, etc. Ours was grilled, the casing taut and charred, giving way to the salty, juicy innards.

Smoked Portuguese Linguica with Saffron Rouille and Olive Manchego Cheese

My chosen encased meat, the sausage was fantastic, spicy and fatty with tons of snap. The rouille was spicy without being hot, French's mustard yellow, but with so much more flavor. This is the sausage I keep thinking about, wishing I could have another.

Duck Fat Fries

And, of course, the Duck Fat Fries. If you visit on Friday or Saturday, and you should, don't bother with the regular fries, duck fat all the way. Deep fried to a perfect caramel-y brown, the fries are surprisingly light yet satisfyingly crisp. Great on their own, yummy with ketchup, but now I wonder if you could order a side of, say, roasted garlic aioli or that amazing saffron rouille to dip? Perhaps next time I will dare to ask.

I've still not tried the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage, perhaps the most famous Hot Doug hot dog. Bourdain raved about it on No Reservations and it's ever popular on flickr. Someday I will try it, someday! As usual Doug was behind the counter taking orders. And just like last time, when Dad tried to order a large soda he recommended a small instead as refills are unlimited. Go to Hot Doug's, it's worth the wait. And don't forget your cash!

Hot Doug's
3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
Menu including daily specials!

Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

2011-10-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm playing catch up again. I'm still working on that burger story I mentioned in my last post. I thought I was done, but we added three more burgers to the already bulging list. I don't mind much. Sure I'm a bit tired of cheeseburgers (especially the mediocre ones,) but I've gotten to try so many restaurants I might not have visited otherwise. In fact, two of my next few burgers come from restaurants I've never eaten at, rather expensive restaurants that I normally couldn't hope to afford. And I think I'm getting my burger appetite back. I ate some delightful little lamb sliders at the Rail last week. Tiny and juicy on adorable little pretzel rolls, the lamb patties were topped with a tangy chimichurri and caramelized onions.

But about this little salad, I made it weeks ago. While I was still deep in burger overload, when just the thought of ground beef sent an unpleasant rumble through my being. It's a lovely side dish, but a larger serving with a hunk of crusty bread would certainly make a satisfying meal.

There isn't much corn left at the market but if you can find some good stuff, this is a quick and super satisfying salad. Colorful and fresh, full of texture. The recipe is slightly adapted from this one at Serious Eats. I added some gorgeous watermelon radishes for color and a bit of extra crunch. Gosh, they're pretty, innards blooming with fuchsia streaks (after they're peeled and chopped of course, before, not so much.) And pretty peppery too, they have a bite. I upped the corn ratio since I had an extra ear, microwaving them around 7 minutes in the husk until they were crisp tender. I skipped the edamame because I didn't have any (well, mostly I forgot to buy any at the store, oops) and added ground coriander and fresh thyme for an extra boost of spice.

The vinaigrette is tangy with lime, just sweet enough with the honey and lightly spiced with cumin, thyme and coriander. You could even add a bit of chipotle for more of a kick. The only problem I had was that the longer the salad sits, the wetter it gets. I'm still not sure if it was the corn weeping or if I added too much dressing initially. So I recommend being conservative with the vinaigrette, add half to the veggies, then a little at a time to get the right consistency. You can always add more later. I waited until right before serving to add the radishes, as they can lose their crunch and tend to get a little odoriferous once they've been sliced (store them in cold water to keep them crisp if you slice them more than a few hours before serving.)

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Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

by Aubrey Dunnuck October-17-2011

This fresh and colorful corn salad is full of bright flavors and textures. Sweet corn pairs beautifully with creamy chickpeas and crisp peppers and radishes, held together with a tangy honey-lime vinaigrette. Adapted from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

3 Ears Cooked Corn

1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Red or Orange Bell Peppers, diced

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 Watermelon Radish, diced

1/3 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Honey

1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

3 sprigs Fresh Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Coriander

1 small bunch Cilantro or Parsley

Instructions

Slice corn kernels from the cob. I like this method using a bundt pan to steady the ear and catch the kernels. In a medium bowl, toss corn with bell peppers and chickpeas. Add the radishes if serving right away or cover and refrigerate until ready. Vigorously whisk lime juice, garlic, olive oil, honey, and spices to make the vinaigrette. Pluck the thyme leaves and add them to the vinaigrette (quickly dice the leaves for more intense flavor.) Add half of the vinaigrette to the corn mixture and stir. Taste and drizzle in more vinaigrette if necessary. Tear off or chop the leaves of cilantro or parsley and mix into the salad. Add the radishes, if you haven't already, and serve.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Summer of tomatoes

2011-09-22T13:52:00.000-04:00

The truth is I haven't been cooking much these last few months. At least, I haven't been cooking anything new and interesting. When I've taken the time to make my own food, I've stuck to my tried and true recipes (lots of roasted broccoli, lemony chickpea pasta, pickles.) And I've been inhaling tomatoes left and right. Gorgeous slow roasted grape tomatoes, burst-in-your-mouth teeny heirloom tomatoes, and lots of salt & pepper seasoned, olive oil drizzled heirlooms.

For most of my formative years my dad kept a massive garden in our backyard. He grew all sorts of veggies; peppers, green beans, snap peas, and, of course, tons of tomatoes. But I rarely ate the tomatoes. I was an oddly picky eater, I devoured bowls of garlic and wine soaked mussels, adored spicy hot & sour soup, and ate my way through thousands of steamed asparagus spears. But any food involving onions, cabbage, or chunky tomatoes would be met with a grimace and a resounding no.

So while I loved certain parts of those gorgeous gardens, I didn't really appreciate the tomato bounty. My parents have since moved and majorly downsized their garden. A small selection of cherry and heirloom tomatoes grow out of planters on the deck, but its not quite the same. It's only been in the past year or so that I've grown to enjoy tomatoes, raw and cooked. I still prefer a smooth tomato sauce to chunky and mealy raw tomatoes kind of gross me out. But it's progress. I'm still working on the cilantro. And the onions.

The main reason I haven't done much cooking (other than my profound laziness) is a new project I'm working on. It's an article on burgers in Bloomington for a local magazine. So far I've tried burgers at over twenty restaurants around town. Tons of fun but also rather overwhelming. Between the burgers and the heat, when I get home all that sounds good is quick, meatless, and, frequently, a mostly vegetal food.

It's been a good summer, a crazy summer. But I'm ready for fall. I had my first honeycrisp apple of the season today. It was wonderful. I should have a few recipes coming up soon. A lovely corn and chickpea salad and some pickles serrano peppers. In the meantime, here's some tomato porn and a few of my favorites photos from this summer.

Chicago - Dumplings and things

2011-09-06T19:18:00.000-04:00

This year's Pitchfork Music Festival made me feel old. This was my fifth Pitchfork fest (years 2, 3, 4) perhaps my last. Maybe next year I'll feel differently. It seems that every year the crowds get larger, the lines longer, the weather hotter. I love live music, I love how songs change in a live setting, and I love when the musicians have a bit of personality, bantering and engaging with the crowd. By necessity some of this is lost in a festival setting, when crowds are bigger and set lists are shorter. And it's so hard to get a good sight line. I'm short as it is, so unless I get super close to the stage my visibility is basically nil. One of my most anticipated bands performing at this year's festival, The Radio Dept, was at the smaller stage. It was so crowded, I couldn't get close. I could barely see or hear, I was so disappointed.

But there were a few bright spots at the festival. Cut Copy was amazing. We got to the stage early and staked out a spot along the side rail. The view was great, the music was better and I was able to get some nice photos. Sweat was flying everywhere, at one point I brushed up against another person's sweaty arm and for the rest of the set I could feel that second layer of foreign sweat drying in an itchy swath across my forearm. Thank goodness event staff were nice enough to pass around bottles of cold water.

The other bright spot was pot stickers. Besides loads of brunch, I also ate loads of dumplings in Chicago. In general, food at the festival is pretty darn good, though, of course, a bit over priced. But not the pot stickers, you get a giant paper boat piled high with gingery chicken (and pork?) dumplings. Way more than you'd get at an actual restaurant for a $6 pot sticker appetizer. Star of Siam runs the Thai booth, which also serves up tons of pad thai and curry, and has a physical restaurant on the near North side.

Maybe the pot stickers would be disappointing at the actual restaurant. Maybe it's just the crowds and the heat and the craziness that make the dumplings such good festival food. I ate them two days in a row, sprawled on the lumpy, dusty ground between sets. A little respite from the stifling heat and ever-expanding crowds. Despite the mass production, the filling is moist and gingery, many of the dumplings develop a bit of crispy brown chew on the exterior. A ladle of red chili flecked soy-vinegar sauce is poured on top of the pot stickers. It's already a little spicy but an extra squirt or two of watered down sriracha is still welcome. The pina colada smoothies were perfect with the spicy dumplings, more icy than creamy, super refreshing in +90°F weather.

Sunday, after the festival, we had a quick dinner at Flattop Grill, one of those design your own stir fry restaurants. I was pretty happy with my food. I loved that they had noodle options alongside the usual white rice. I loaded my bowl up with egg noodles, tons of veggies (broccoli, snap peas, cabbage, etc) and a combo of chicken and pork. I spooned on all sorts of sauces (kung pao, sesame ginger, black bean garlic, hot red chili) and the mysterious garlic and ginger waters. Add a bit of stretchy, crisp roti bread and I ended up with a pretty tasty meal. The edamame was pretty great, tossed in salt, pepper and something citrusy then served with two dipping sauces. It certainly wasn't ground-breakingly amazing, but it was just right after a sweaty, exhausting day at the festival.

Chicago - So Much Brunch - Yolk, Wishbone, Ann Sather

2011-08-28T22:10:00.001-04:00

Oh my, it's been a while. Through the spring and early summer I was really trying to update more often, more consistently. I've fallen off the wagon a bit since mid-July. Two trips to Chicago, my birthday, and a really exciting new project I've been working on has put me behind schedule. But about those trips to Chicago. In July I was up north for the Pitchfork Music Festival, returning to the fest after one year off. The most defining part of the trip was brunch, we ate a lot of brunch and only saw a little bit of music. So this post is about brunch, some good, some okay. Next post should be about music and non-brunch related food, we'll see.

I was super excited about Yolk but ended up slightly disappointed. The food was pretty good but not especially impressive. Service was iffy, and though I know it's a problem at most Chicago restaurants, why is it so hard to split checks? I guess I'm so used to Bloomington where large groups of people dine together all of the time, so servers are prepared and expected to separate checks. And if they hadn't made everything so difficult, maybe I wouldn't feel so bitter. Meh.

Yolk serves all of the expected brunch favorites, Eggs Benedict, waffles, etc, some with a twist. Ginny had the Bacon Waffles & Eggs, bacon baked right into the waffle, scrambled eggs on top. She liked it, but the bacon could have been a little crisper inside the waffle, especially to contrast with the soft scrambled eggs on top. My french toast platter was fine, the link sausage was awesome, though sunnyside up eggs were a bit albumen-y. Regular old waffles and crepes were good. Maybe the best meal of the morning was the South of the Border Benny, Eggs Benedict with chorizo and chipotle hollandaise.

Probably my fave brunch of the trip, Wishbone serves Southern food with a local, seasonal, occasional gluten free bent. Ginny's Biscuits and Gravy were delish, thick and messy and rich in the best way. Mariann had the Corn cakes, which were also great. Studded with sweet corn kernels and slivers of green onion, they're sweet and savory, served with a red pepper sauce.

I loved my Blackened Catfish, which was tender with a bit of chew. Perfect with over easy fried eggs, cheesy grits and a corn muffin. The homemade lemonade is totally refreshing, with a frothy top and icy bottom. Banana pancakes were also solid, home fries golden brown and very tasty.

This was my third time at Ann Sather, a super popular Swedish restaurant known for their brunch. There are a few Ann Sather locations in Chicago, for this trip we ate at the Belmont outpost. The Swedish meatballs weren't as good as I remembered. Take a look at this photo from back in 2008, so many more meatballs, smaller and nicely browned. They were from the Andersonville location, so maybe they're just better there?

The Cinnamon rolls are great, especially when they're hot, straight out of the oven. Like the Swedish meatballs, the potato sausage didn't quite live up to my memories. I did like my hashbrowns, which were plenty creamy in the middle but still nicely crisp on the outside. Especially good dipped in a little spicy mustard and lingonberry sauce. Applesauce is lovely as well, chunky and not too sweet. It tastes like real, fresh apples cooked until just soft. Mariann liked her Swedish Pancake plate, and the Swedish Waffle was a winner as well. The orange-strawberry-banana juice I ordered was great, refreshing and fruity and not overly sweet.

Yolk
1120 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605-2301(312) 789-9655
Website + Menu

Wishbone
3300 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-1108(773) 549-2663 ‎
Website + Menu

Ann Sather
909 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-4473(773) 348-2378 ‎
Website + Menu

Tangy Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

2011-07-14T00:19:00.006-04:00

I don't have any formal cooking training. I love to read cookbooks and food blogs, but when it comes down to it, I'm mostly just experimenting in the kitchen. I like to think I have the intuition of a cook, a fairly good palate, and a bit of knowledge on what flavors taste good together. And often my experiments work out, but occasionally I do have massive failures. (I'm still a bit bitter about that one sour meal of lentils in wine, garlic and lemon last year that didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped...) These mushrooms though, they were a success.

My favorite meals are often the ones resulting from a bit of spontaneity. I love coming across a recipe I just have to make right now. Or finding a unique or super fresh ingredient and rushing home to find the perfect recipe. And sometimes the best dishes come out of necessity. Those times when you have something in the fridge that's going to go bad if you don't use it asap.

I had a handful of gorgeous Shiitake Mushrooms, grown by my dad's basketball buddy, Jim. They sat in my fridge, bundled in paper towels and a paper bag for a week and a half before I finally got off my butt and spontaneously tried out this recipe. I couldn't waste them. After all, I'd practically forced my parents to give them to me in the first place.

So there I was, planning on a quick supper of roasted broccoli and a box of rice pilaf. And I thought, what if I roast these mushrooms too? A quick google of "Roasted Shiitake Mushooms" took me to this New York Times recipe from 1993. I adapted it quite liberally, ending up with more of a braise than a roast, in a small baking dish with water and sherry vinegar instead of wine.

After 15 minutes in the oven my whole apartment smelled like the best restaurant ever. Luckily, the mushrooms tasted as good as they smelled. The garlicky, slightly tangy broth revived my slightly dehydrated shiitakes beautifully. The result was plump, tender mushrooms with a silky texture and plenty of flavor.

Now, this recipe really only makes enough for one person. Though you could probably squeeze out two servings if it's part of a larger meal. I had ten mushrooms, in varying sizes, so that's what I cooked but I'm sure the recipe can size up just fine in a larger baking dish. If you don't have sherry vinegar, other wine flavored vinegars would work just fine. I'm sure lemon juice would be delicious as well. The mushrooms made a lovely meal alongside my broccoli and rice. My only regret was the lack of crusty bread to mop up the tablespoon or so of remaining broth.

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Tangy Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

by Aubrey Dunnuck July-15-2011

Plump shiitake mushrooms braised in a light, tangy broth flavored with garlic, sherry vinegar, and fresh thyme.

Ingredients

around 10 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms

1 clove Garlic

1 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar

1/4 cup Water

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 350˚F. Remove and discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms. With a damp paper towel, brush mushroom caps to remove any dirt or debris. Thinly slice the garlic.

Pour water and sherry vinegar into a small baking dish. Arrange mushrooms in dish and sprinkle with garlic slices, pepper flakes, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper then drizzle the olive oil all over the mushrooms.

Cover the baking dish in foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and check liquid level, if it looks dry, add another tablespoon or two of water. Return to oven, uncovered, for 15 more minutes until the mushrooms are plump and tender.

Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread!

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 1-2 servings

Slow Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

2011-07-10T15:00:00.001-04:00

It's the middle of summer and for some reason I've been craving roasted veggies like crazy. It seems so silly heating up the whole kitchen just for a little crispy-tender-sweet broccoli or cabbage. Luckily these slow roasted tomatoes are delicious compromise. Given a light coating of olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, and a low 225˚ oven, little cherry and grape tomatoes transform into juicy, sweet bombs of flavor. Tossed with fragrant basil, nuggets of creamy mozzarella, and a bit of balsamic glaze you have a gorgeous summery side salad.

This recipe calls for a pound of tomatoes, but really the salad only uses about half of that. Don't worry, you'll find a way to use the remainder. You could smear a few of the roasted garlic cloves on some bread with a little olive oil and few roasted tomatoes. Or make a sort of bruschetta - pile on top of toasted, garlic rubbed slices of bread. The tomatoes are truly divine on their own as well, I ate most of my leftovers like little tomato candies. The rest I tossed with orecchiette, a pat of butter and some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Likewise, the balsamic glaze cooks down to about 1/3 - 1/2 a cup of liquid, more than you'll need for this salad. The leftover glaze will last in your fridge for quite a while. It's lovely over grilled meat and fresh or cooked veggies. Make sure to use fresh mozzarella, you want whole balls shrink wrapped in plastic or sold in tubs full of whey. I used boccocini, delicate bite sized rounds of fresh mozzarella, you can usually find them with the gourmet cheeses.

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Slow Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

by Aubrey Dunnuck July-10-2011

Grape and cherry tomatoes turn sweet and deeply flavorful after slow roasting in a low oven. Tossed with fresh mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic glaze you have a beautiful summer salad.

Ingredients

16 oz Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seed

1 head fresh Garlic

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

8 oz fresh Mozzarella

4-5 large leaves fresh Basil

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 225˚F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve the tomatoes and separate the cloves of garlic, leaving them un-peeled. Toss tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes on the baking sheet - cut side up.

Roast tomatoes for around 3 hours, until the edges are wrinkled but the insides are still a bit juicy. I found that round cherry tomatoes tend to take a bit longer than oval shaped grape tomatoes.

To make the balsamic glaze - heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring vinegar to a boil and allow to reduce by about half, until it's thick and glossy. This will probably take around 20-30 minutes, keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

When you're ready to serve your salad, tear the mozzarella into bite size chunks and chiffonade the basil. Then, in a medium sized serving bowl, toss basil with the mozzarella and a cup of the roasted tomatoes. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and serve right away with some crusty bread!

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 30 mins Yield: 4 servings

Sugar Snap Pea Pickles

2011-06-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

Oh man, it looks like I missed my blog-o-versary. Eat, repeat is now a little over three years old! Even more exciting, the blog just hit 100 RSS feed subscribers (now we're at 105!) which is awesome. Thanks so much to all of my readers and an extra special thanks to everyone who has commented on a post.

So! More pickles? I know, but I just can't help it. It's hot out and all I want to eat are cold briney salty crunchy veggies (although I wouldn't say no to some funnel cake from the fair, maybe.) In the last few weeks I've filled and re-filled so many jars of refrigerator pickles. Some better than others, but all pretty darn good. These peas definitely fall in the delicious category.

The Chocolate Moose

2011-06-13T22:05:00.113-04:00

For a while the ice cream situation in downtown Bloomington was pretty dire. At least that's what everyone claimed. First the Jiffy Treat on Kirkwood closed down, then White Mountain (my family's go to spot for ice cream treats.) A Coldstone opened up for a while on Indiana Ave but didn't last long. And there's Blu Boy now, which is delicious, but not really an ice cream shop. But what everyone forgets is that The Chocolate Moose is just an eight minute walk from the courthouse.

Spiced Citrus Amaretto Peaches with Lemon Mascarpone and Cinnamon Sugar Tortas

2011-06-10T18:02:00.098-04:00

I have no air conditioning in my kitchen. I usually don't mind so much, except when it's 90 degrees and humid for two weeks in a row. It makes it hard to summon the energy to cook. Today I knew I needed to make something that didn't require turning on my oven. Thank goodness there's so much gorgeous fruit available right now. These peaches called to me at the co-op, firm and sweet smelling with pretty dappled pink skin. Macerated in a spicy citrus and amaretto mixture, peaches turn golden and syrupy around the edges while keeping their fresh summery flavor.

Lemon and Olive Oil Yogurt Cake with Fresh Blackberry Limoncello Sauce

2011-05-26T23:14:00.005-04:00

You know those recipes or ingredients you read about and think, "that sounds awesome, I should try it" but never really get around to them? For me just a few of those things were; a quick yogurt cake, a fresh fruit puree or sauce, olive oil cake, crème fraiche... And, that's how this cake came together, I bought a few ingredients and then all of a sudden I had this fancy cake.

It started at the grocery store, blackberries were on sale for just a dollar per package. I bought two and thought, blackberry sauce! As I browsed the alcohol aisle, checking for sales, I remembered the gorgeous bottle of Limoncello Katy gave me for Christmas. Limoncello blackberry sauce sounded much more interesting than blackberries all by themselves.

The Best Broccoli

2011-05-21T17:11:00.003-04:00

I was a pretty picky eater as a child, but I always ate my vegetables. Unless, of course, those vegetables were onions, cabbage, or chunky tomatoes. Broccoli though, broccoli I ate. It was a regular fixture at our dinner table, usually steamed or in stir fry or chicken soup. But since I've moved out I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked broccoli for myself.

These days I roast most of my veggies. Roasted cabbage with jasmine rice is a weeknight standby, and springtime always means panfuls of garlic roasted asparagus. I had been considering roast broccoli for a while, but always fell back on the familiarity of other vegetables. But no more. I think this recipe, which is just slightly adapted from this one by Ina Garten, will quickly make it into my regular meal rotation. I love the bite of the cheese and the creamy toasted nuts with the broccoli but, for simplicity's sake, they probably won't always make it into the dish. The garlic and lemon, however, are required.

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Pickled Strawberry Jam

2011-05-16T08:42:00.005-04:00

Was it just a few weeks ago that I wrote about making refrigerator pickles? Well, since then I've made all sort of veggie pickles; cucumbers, green beans, carrots, sugar snap peas (recipe coming soon!) And now, Pickled Strawberry Jam. But don't be scared of that "Pickled" in the title. Really the jam just starts out with a little vinegar, a few spices, and lots of sugar but ends up just barely tart with a hint of something extra. Something delicious.

Bloomington Sandwich Company

2011-05-08T22:30:00.012-04:00

I keep wanting to use the acronym BSC for Bloomington Sandwich Company. But around here BSC stands for Bloomington Swim Club. And to a child of the 90s like me, I totally associate BSC with Ann M. Martin's classic Babysitter's Club series (man, I loved those books.) So to avoid confusion I mostly just call it Sandwich company. I meant to write about the restaurant months and months ago, way back in 2009. But the restaurant closed suddenly in 2010, for most of the year. Then, finally, in December it popped back up in a larger and much nicer location. Now it's back to being one of the best lunch spots in Bloomington.

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Instant Chocolate Cinnamon Cup Cakes

2011-04-24T13:44:00.006-04:00

I've never been much of a chocolate person. This has always baffled my father who will always, always, choose the most chocolaty item on the menu. When presented with a dessert menu I typically pick something like creme brulee, fruit cobbler or pie. But sometimes you're stuck at home on the third rainy day in a row with nothing sweet in your house except half a pint of ice crystal infested ice cream and some frosted shredded wheat. When all you want is quick but warm, homemade, satisfying dessert this is what you should make.

Upland Brewing Co, Redux

2011-04-12T16:46:00.002-04:00

Upland is (still) one of my favorite Bloomington restaurants. It's popular with locals and students, so it can get super busy, loud, and kind of uncomfortable. But the food is good and the beer is even better.

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Spicy Garlic Green Bean Pickles

2011-04-03T09:00:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago I bought a bag of pre-trimmed, pre-washed, ready to cook/microwave/whatever bag of green beans. In February I made pot after pot of soup, so I figured I would use the beans for more soup. But then the weather shifted and we had a few weeks of warm sunny days, and suddenly soup didn't sound like such a great plan.

The beans were looking a little rough around the edges and nearing their expiration date before I finally took action. NYT linked me to a recipe on Food in Jars so of course I spent way too many hours surfing through the recipes there before I stumbled onto the page for Dilly Beans. In the recipe's comments Marisa writes about preparing the beans as refrigerator pickles, and I thought "I can do that!" Real canning isn't really something I have the patience/equipment/skillz to get into right now, but refrigerator pickles are definitely within my reach. You don't even need to heat the brine.

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Austin Food Roundup : Part 3

2011-03-24T12:02:00.011-04:00

It's snowing sideways in Bloomington today, snowflakes coming down fast like rain. It's been over a month now since the trip. I can't help thinking that psychologically I've spread these posts out so I can re-live it all over again. Or maybe I'm just lazy. So, finally, day three of my lovely little trip to Austin.

Steph made us delicious yogurt parfaits for breakfast. Berries and dark chocolate peanut butter and granola and whipped honey and vanilla yogurt. Perfect way to start the day.

Mikado, Redux

2011-03-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

For as long as I can remember I've hated writing. I wouldn't call myself a bad writer, just kind of uninspired and unimaginative. In school I was always the one to wait until the last possible minute to write a paper, staying up way too late to fulfill the minimum word count. And I hated it, I gave myself countless stress migraines avoiding assignments then, finally, agonizing over every word. In college, I scoured class descriptions and syllabi to find the courses that didn't require long papers and essays. I thought if I was writing about something I really enjoyed (food!) it would be easier. It is, at least a little bit. But not quite enough.

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Austin Food Round Up : Part 2

2011-03-06T12:24:00.006-05:00

The second day of my whirlwind Austin trip involved more delicious Mexican food and 100% more food trucks! Steph started us out Saturday morning with a fantastic frittata full of tomatoes, artichoke hearts and spinach. Plus some yummy fresh fruit and yogurt.

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Austin Food Round Up : Part 1

2011-02-07T13:13:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I was lucky enough to visit my awesome friend Stephanie down in Austin, Texas. She was a fantastic host, carting my friend Jessica and I to all sorts of delicious restaurants and unique shops. I had so much fun that it was painful to come back home to icy Indiana.

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Cafe Pizzaria

2010-11-07T17:46:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't updated in a while, oops. So how about some pizza? Cafe Pizzaria is definitely a Bloomington institution. It's been around forever. In fact, they claim to be Bloomington's first Pizzeria. You can certainly feel it in the restaurant. It's dark and worn inside, but in a cozy kind of way, with lots of private booths. Unlike most of the Bloomington population, I really didn't start eating at Cafe Pizzaria until rather recently (when I was little my family's traditional pizza place was Mother Bear's Pizza.) Actually, I don't think I ever ate there at all until college. Now I probably have lunch there every other month or so.

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Fettuccine with Peas and Prosciutto

2010-07-23T22:20:00.012-04:00

I made this pasta for the first time over a year ago with my friend Katy. We were planning her wedding and all of the sudden it was 7 pm and we were starving. I remember we were so indecisive, we spent at least half an hour trying to decide whether to go out to eat or make something at home. Finally we settled on this recipe out of the Everyday Food cookbook, mostly because Katy already had a pound of fettuccine and I had frozen peas.

It's pretty darn tasty. And it only takes around twenty minutes start to finish. Prep the garlic, lemon, prosciutto while your pasta water heats up, then start cooking the garlic when you drop the pasta. Totally easy. The lemon adds a brightness that really makes the dish. Going back through the recipes I've blogged, pretty much all of them feature lemons. When I was little I ate lemons as if they were oranges. So I guess it isn't surprising that so many of my favorite recipes include them.

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NYC Food Round Up : Part 3

2010-06-24T07:47:00.002-04:00

On Saturday Katy and I headed straight for Chinatown after a quick coffee stop at Starbucks. We wandered around for a while, buying Asian candy and miscellaneous little dishes and souvenirs. And then we headed for Prosperity Dumpling.

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NYC Food Round Up : Part 2

2010-05-23T12:18:00.006-04:00

So on Wednesday and Thursday we tried out Shake Shack, Veselka and Momofuku Milk Bar. They were mostly winners so we were psyched for Friday!

We started our morning at The Breslin, the super hip April Bloomfield restaurant in the Ace Hotel. As you can probably tell from the following photos, it was quite dark inside the restaurant. It was full of dark wood and antlers, basically like a hipster version of an English Pub. Katy and I were surrounded by hungover industry types who were slightly annoying, but the food more than made up for it. And the coffee was good!

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NYC Food Round Up : Part 1

2010-05-12T08:21:00.002-04:00

How about some food porn? My bff Katy and I took a lovely trip to New York City at the end of April. We ate some pretty awesome food, mostly recommended by NYC bloggers, and had a ton of fun at museums, shows, etc. It was pretty fantastic!

We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Chelsea which is just a short walk to Madison Square Garden. AKA home of the Shake Shack! Our flight got in on Wednesday around 2, we settled into the hotel around 3, and were out and about and hungry by 4. Since it was so early, there wasn't much of a line at Shake Shack. It was pretty chilly, but we decided to go for some custard anyway. Good call on our part!

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White Bean and Pesto Soup

2010-04-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

Ever since I got my super cute mini food processor for Christmas I've been dying to make some pesto. Of course, winter isn't exactly the best time for basil so pesto got put in the back burner until yesterday. Bloomingfoods had some lovely living basil plants so I scooped one up, went straight home, and tried out this soup.

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Roots

2010-04-02T16:35:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote about an actual restaurant. The truth is I eat out for lunch most days and luckily there are TONS of options within walking distance of work. Roots is a staple in my lunch rotation. Originally Roots was marketed as the only vegetarian restaurant in Bloomington. Central to the menu were dishes featuring tofu, tempeh, and seitan. I remember ordering the Grilled Veggie Pita soon after the restaurant opened and not being too impressed with it. More recently, Roots added Thai specialties to their menu and I think that's where the restaurant really shines.

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Momofuku Crack Pie

2010-03-10T08:28:00.001-05:00

This pie is ridiculous, to make and to eat. It's basically a bunch of butter, sugar, and eggs baked up into a delicious gooey sugary mess of a pie. My friend Katy and I made the pie for an Oscar Party last weekend. We're planning a trip to NYC in April and Momofuku Milk Bar (pork buns! cereal milk soft serve!) is most definitely on our list of must-eats. Apparently a whole pie at Milk Bar is $44 :O so, one less thing to try when we get there.

Crispy Brown Butter Pecan Cookies

2010-02-23T16:16:00.006-05:00

I love the idea of brown butter. I mean, what's better than plain ol' butter? Butter with extra delicious flavor! These cookies are all about the butter. They're rich and crunchy, and just as decadent as chocolate. The pecans are the perfect complement to the brown butter, adding a really nice extra texture. All that butter makes these cookies quite crispy. They're not soft at all in the middle. In most cases I prefer a cookie with a soft middle and browned edges but for these it just worked. I'm sure if you really want them a bit less crunchy they could be pulled from the oven a little early.

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Pear Custard Pie

2010-01-25T08:15:00.005-05:00

Don't let the "Pie" in the title scare you. This recipe is basically just a clafoutis, it's crustless, and it's so easy. Seriously, you just peel and slice some pears then blend up a super simple batter and bake until the pie is golden brown. I think it's simple enough for a weeknight dessert, but also elegant enough for a small dinner party.

The flavors are subtle but delicious, with just enough sugar to be sweet, but not overly saccharine. The custard gets nicely creamy and a bit eggy between the pear slices. While the sugar and flour bake up a little crunchy/caramelized around the rim. But the touch of vanilla and delicate floral taste of the pears are really what makes the dessert so lovely. Oh and the smell from the oven as this bakes is amazing.

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Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

2010-01-12T11:45:00.006-05:00

Back in August I wrote about Topo Gigio and the amazing seafood pasta my sister ordered. That pasta had fantastic calamari and mussels and scallops but what made it really delicious was the sauce. It had the most perfect tomato flavor with minimal chunks and an underlying richness. I dreamed of that pasta for months. Then, in November, I found myself devouring months and months of posts from Orangette. When I came across Molly's blog on tomato sauce I thought, 'I can do that.' So I did. And with my first taste it was like 'that's it!' It's probably not exactly like the sauce from Topo Gigio, but it's close enough for me.

Almond Coconut Macaroons

2010-01-06T08:31:00.006-05:00

Oh man are these delicious. And so freakin' easy. And easy, as you might have noticed, is quite important to me. Back in my undergraduate days my bff/roommate, Katy, and I would buy bags of Archway coconut macaroons from Marsh and eat one after another while watching Law & Order repeats in the middle of the afternoon. Those were pretty good, but this recipe blows them out of the water. They get gorgeously golden brown and crispy around the edges but stay moist and soft on the inside. Even my dad liked them and he doesn't even eat coconut. If only I'd known macaroons were so simple, I would have been making them for years!

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Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup

2010-01-03T12:33:00.007-05:00

Gourmet is gone, which makes me sad even though I've only recently begun reading old copies. Checking out random issues from the library, along with issues of Bon Apetit. To be honest I find the writing and recipes in Gourmet so much more inviting and fun to read. As for Bon Apetit, I don't really care for the format and, especially, the food photography. But what can you do?

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Lemony Chickpea Pasta

2009-12-27T12:20:00.008-05:00

This is a super simple dish that comes together very quickly. I like to make it on nights when I work late and don't have much energy, but still want to make something yummy and homemade. I love how the heat of the pasta warms up the chickpeas so they get nice and creamy. If you want to be fussy you can remove the skin from the chickpeas. It just makes the dish a bit more elegant. I usually run a knife through a tablespoon of the capers then leave the rest whole. This would also be great with some artichokes or kalamata olives. If the capers aren't briny-salty enough for you!

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Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

2009-12-20T12:53:00.008-05:00

For years I thought I hated cabbage. I think it was one of those irrational childhood food things, I was kind of a picky eater when I was little. Or at least, I had very specific ideas about what I liked and what I would not eat. There are definitely still ingredients I'm not fond of, mostly cilantro and another staple vegetable that I am too embarrassed to admit. But, luckily, I have overcome my fear of cabbage and now I pretty much love it.

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Lentil Soup

2009-12-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

My mom makes a really delicious lentil soup. Hers is a little rustic, with a thick broth and chunky vegetables. This is a bit fancier (but not really fancy at all...) It can be served as an appetizer, dressed up with some parsley and parmesan. But I like it best on a chilly night in front of the tv. Just add a little garlic bread and some grated cheese and you're in business!

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Another Lunch @ Noodles & Company

2009-11-25T08:08:00.006-05:00

So Noodles is my go to lunch spot these days. It's quick and sorta cheap and I don't feel uncomfortable eating there by myself. With my hour lunch/dinner break I have plenty of time to eat and usually some extra minutes for errands. I posted about Noodles & Company back in '08 but since I still eat there pretty much once a week, I figure a recap wouldn't hurt. Plus I've got some pictures to post!

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Spicy Peanut Noodles

2009-11-17T22:05:00.015-05:00

These yummy noodles are a bit addictive. My mom used to make them for our family when I was younger. Then in high school it was one of the first (and only!) recipes I cooked myself. The noodles are based on a recipe from one of my mom's old Moosewood cookbooks. I tried to find the exact recipe online, but the one I found on the Moosewood website was a little different than I remembered, it doesn't have garlic or ginger. So I improvised a little, adding the minced garlic and ginger as well as some honey to balance out the salty/spicy flavors.

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Pumpkin Bread with Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

2009-11-14T17:49:00.008-05:00

It's fall, my favorite time of year! And Fall means pumpkin in all forms. A few weeks ago I made Molly's Banana Bread from "A Homemade Life" and liked it a lot. I couldn't help but wonder how a pumpkin version would taste. So I modified the recipe, substituting pumpkin for banana, removing the crystallized ginger but adding a bit of powdered ground ginger, as well as cinnamon and nutmeg. I also stole a bit from another of Molly's Banana Bread recipes from Orangette, and added a bit of cinnamon sugar on top of the bread.

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Molly Wizenberg's Banana Bread

2009-11-02T12:08:00.005-05:00

I have very limited kitchen space and even less cooking equipment, so I don't cook or bake that often. But lately I've been really trying to make more of my meals from scratch. I've had some success so far, with various soups and pasta dishes. But this weekend I got the urge to bake! I'm reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette, and basically all of the recipes in the book sound amazing and delicious.

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Blu Boy

2009-09-27T19:09:00.002-04:00

Blu Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery popped up a year or so ago right downtown, next to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. It's a cute little shop with friendly employees and delicious desserts. The location is really great, right in the middle of downtown. Perfect for an after dinner treat on the weekend or a sugary snack during the day.

Blu Boy is one of the few places in Bloomington to find cupcakes. They use a very rich, creamy buttercream which, while delicious, can get a little overwhelming. In the past they swirled the buttercream super-high, but have recently downsized, in my opinion, to a more manageable and proportional amount of frosting. See these cupcakes; Blueberry vs Cinnamon Hazelnut Chocolate. My favorite cupcake ever at Blu Boy was the Banana Chocolate. The cake was a light, moist white cake flavored with banana. And the addition of shaved chocolate to the buttercream was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. I also recently had a Cinnamon Hazelnut Chocolate that was fabulous. I've had a few underwhelming cupcakes at Blu Boy, with dry, crumbly cake, but overall they've been quite good. The flavors rotate so you never know exactly what will be available, usually there are 2-3 options.

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Sweet Grass

2009-09-14T20:27:00.002-04:00

Sweet Grass is a brand new Bloomington restaurant with a focus on Southern, Carolina cuisine. I tried it out last Wednesday evening with my friends Chris and Katy. The restaurant wasn't packed by any means, but it seemed like a nice crowd for the middle of the week. The waitstaff were very friendly and attentive. Although our waiter was a little slow to bring the check (he was busy closing up the outside dining area) he made up for it by splitting the check with no problem.

Chicago : Topo Gigio

2009-08-27T12:17:00.009-04:00

My family took a long weekend vacay to Chicago recently and ate some delicious food. On Sunday we had tickets for the Second City Etc show "Not Working" (hilarious!) and decided to eat nearby before the show. I yelped a few restaurants in the Old Town area before we left but we really picked Topo Gigio because of the lovely patio. It was an excellent choice, the food was fantastic!

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Shanti

2009-08-04T21:44:00.003-04:00

There are now three Indian Restaurants in Bloomington, Bombay House, Taste of India, and Shanti. I've only tried the lunch buffet at Taste of India once so I'm not quite ready to give it a thumbs up yet. But if I had to pick a winner between Shanti and Bombay House, Shanti would come out on top. Christine would argue the opposite I think, she lurves Bombay House. At dinner time both restaurants are a bit more expensive than other ethnic restaurants in Bloomington. Entrees in the $9.99 to $14.99 range. Shanti wins at lunch though with cheap and filling lunch specials while Bombay House has a, ridiculously expensive, lunch buffet.

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Chicago : More Cupcakes Redux

2009-07-07T22:08:00.006-04:00

Last October I blogged about Chicago's More Cupcakes, and how I wasn't super impressed. Well, my friend Mariann got me a gift card to More for Christmas, so we decided to give it another go. And I'm glad we did! Not only was I much happier with the cupcakes we tasted this time, but the employees at the storefront seemed a lot friendlier (less pretentious!). The shop's owner, Patty Rothman, was there giving out samples and talking about all the daily flavors. She was super nice, enthusiastic and definitely made the experience that much better.

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Chicago : Hot Doug's

2009-05-26T21:20:00.005-04:00

I've been trying to get to Hot Doug's (The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium) since last summer! I saw some special about hot dogs on the Travel Channel featuring the restaurant and was like 'Mariann, we must go!' But then we didn't and she went without me then bragged about how awesome it was. Well the stars finally aligned last Friday and it was awesome. My friends Katy, Ella, Ginny and I waited in line for over an hour and a half for our sausages but it was definitely worth it!

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The Naughty Dog

2009-04-29T09:15:00.005-04:00

A brand new hot dog restaurant just opened up in Bloomington called the Naughty Dog. Pretty cute name I think, and the food was pretty good too! Extra awesome were the coupons distributed with the weekly grocery circulars. Apparently there are also coupons in the local newspaper as well. An important thing to note is that The Naughty Dog is cash only (*** Anon commenter just reported that they are now accepting credit cards, but I have not confirmed***)! We popped in then right back out to make an atm run.

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Runcible Spoon

2009-03-17T21:38:00.005-04:00

Runcible Spoon is a very Bloomington institution. The Spoon's been around since the 70s but came under new ownership in 2001. The new owner, Matt O'Neill, added an Irish twist to the menu but preserved the unique atmosphere. I have a vivid memory of visiting the restaurant with my mom when I was very young. I have no idea if we even had food, all I remember is the crazy bathtub filled with giant fish! Well now that I'm a bit older the bathtub is still kinda cool, but mostly it's just a murky tub in a dim bathroom with a few random fish. But I bet if I was six I'd still think it was awesome.

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Esan Thai

2009-02-04T21:12:00.006-05:00

Esan Thai is one of Bloomington's many Thai restaurants. It doesn't measure up to the awesomeness of Little Tibet, but Esan Thai has several dishes I really like. Esan is a bit expensive, in an overpriced kind of way. I think I would be more enthusiastic with it if the prices were lower, it would feel like a better deal.

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Chicago : Swirlz

2009-02-01T18:47:00.005-05:00

For my last birthday my bff Mariann bought me a gift card for Swirlz Cupcakes in Chicago. We used it back in October and I'm finally blogging about it now. When I first read about Swirlz at Food in Mouth ages ago I got super excited about checking them out. My excitement waned a bit after visiting the super awesome Molly's Cupcakes, I figured Swirlz just wouldn't be able to measure up. Well Swirlz definitely exceeded my expectations. Where Molly's Cupcakes are decadent and rich, cupcakes from Swirlz are delicate and well-balanced.

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Little Tibet

2009-01-31T15:14:00.007-05:00

I wrote in an earlier post that Samira is the best restaurant in Bloomington. Well, I love Samira but my favorite restaurant in Bloomington is Little Tibet. They serve mostly Tibetan and Thai food, with a little Indian thrown in. Like many of the ethnic restaurants on 4th street, Little Tibet is located in the first floor of a house. It's a bit cramped inside, but still cozy and inviting. In the summer you can also sit outside on the porch or patio.

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More Cupcakes : Chicago

2008-10-27T13:12:00.005-04:00

Savory cupcakes have been getting a lot of buzz lately and, in Chicago, More Cupcakes has been creating a lot of it. I read tons of articles and reviews of the BLT Cupcake at More. So, of course, we had to try it. Some of the yelp reviewers complained of having to wait a while but I visited (with Mariann and Ginny) early afternoon on a Friday and there was no line whatsoever.

The shop is small and very trendy, the employees wear all black and are kinda pretentious. The cupcakes are on display in a clear wall of shelves as you walk in so you can see what's available. After ogling the beautiful wall of cupcakes, I got a bit disappointed. The two cupcakes Mariann and I were most looking forward to were missing. The Salted Caramel for me and Brie Champagne for Mariann.

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Dodos / Underdogg : Chicago

2008-10-15T09:33:00.014-04:00

FarmBloomington

2008-09-29T17:45:00.012-04:00

Ahh Farm. FARMbloomington opened in early 2008 under Daniel Orr. He was executive chef at La Grenouille in NYC, where he got 3 stars from the New York Times. So that makes him pretty awesome I guess. Farm focuses on local and seasonal ingredients in a with an emphasis on a "fusion of island cuisine and Midwest American cooking." I wish I could give Farm a great review, but I've had some very mixed experiences there. I think Farm could be a really fantastic restaurant but it needs more time to find it's groove.

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Samira

2008-09-15T17:15:00.004-04:00

Samira's Restaurant is quite possibly the best restaurant in Bloomington. I like it so much that I chose it for my birthday dinner this year. Even though it was my dad's birthday restaurant just a month before. It's that good! Samira is an Afghani restaurant, which might intimidate some Bloomington residents. I don't know how authentic the food is because, obviously, I've never been to Afghanistan and eaten real Afghani food. The thing about the food at Samira is that it's so well seasoned. The spices they use are exotic enough to be interesting, but never overwhelming. The restaurant is semi-fancy, tablecloths and waiters in ties and dress shirts. Dinner prices are $10-$20. If you live in Bloomington go eat at Samira, it's not scary, and you definitely won't regret it.

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Puccini's La Dolce Vita

2008-08-26T12:15:00.002-04:00

Puccini's La Dolce Vita is Bloomington's fancypants Italian restaurant. I've been there 2-3 times and have never been super impressed. This time the food was good, but it wasn't excellent. And from this type of restaurant (and their prices) I expect better. When Christine and I went in to get seated they asked us whether we wanted Italian or Ethiopian food. This was confusing. Apparently half of the restaurant is now Ethiopian? Are they owned by the same people? Is Puccini's doing so badly that they had to rent out half of the resaurant? I don't know. But it's weird.

The ambiance is certainly nice. We ate outside on the patio, which is lovely on a nice evening. The restaurant also has a reputation for very formal, attentive service. We didn't get that either. The service wasn't bad by any means but it also wasn't much different than the service you'd get at somewhere like Olive Garden.

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Upland Brewing Co.

2008-08-25T17:01:00.002-04:00

Upland Brewing Company is a great local restaurant that serves a variety of pub food as well as some really creative entrees. They also make really fantastic beers on site. My favorite by far is the Wheat, it's basically perfect. Spicy and citrusy, they serve it with orange wedges which are delicious after they've been soaking in your glass of beer for half an hour. If you're into hops, you'll love the Dragonfly Pale Ale. It's too bitter and floral for me. I also like the Amber and if you like thicker, heartier beers, the Bad Elmer's Porter is good. Upland has a really nice patio, which is usually packed on weekends. Inside it can get really loud and seating can be kind of uncomfortable because a lot of the tables are very close together. Who likes to sit in the middle of a giant, loud, room feeling all exposed? But the food is good and the beer is even better, so it is usually worth it.

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Casa Brava

2008-08-14T11:10:00.007-04:00

If you're looking for Mexican food in Bloomington the Casa Brava/La Charreada mini-chain is the way to go. They have three locations; Casa Brava on the West Side, La Charreada on North Walnut, and the brand new Casa Brava on the East Side. There are also locations in Bedford and Indianapolis. The menus are roughly the same at all three Bloomington restaurants. Aand it is huge, like 8 pages. They have tons of varieties of Enchiladas, Burritos, Chimichangas, Fajitas and pretty much any other Mexican specialty you can think of. There is also a large selection of combination platters and a la carte items.

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Finch's Brasserie

2008-08-07T10:11:00.013-04:00

Finch's Brasserie recently replaced Trulli Flatbread on Kirkwood, reopening with a new name, owner and chef. I only went to Trulli once, and it was pretty good not super special. Christine, Ginny, and I shared a flatbread (fancypants pizza) with roasted asparagus, leeks, and mushrooms. We ate outside on the patio which is quite nice and great for people watching. Finch's keeps the patio as well as the extensive beer and wine selection and the flatbreads, now called pizzettas. The inside is nice, contemporary but with lots of warm woods and rich paint colors. Prices are pretty flexible, you can get away without spending too much by ordering the pizzettas or pastas. The entree prices are pretty reasonable as well, ranging from around $13 to $30. If you're familiar with Bloomington restaurants, I'd say prices are more than Uptown but less than Farm.

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Chicago : Tsunami

2008-08-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

Mariann introduced us to Tsunami last spring when we were in town to see Arcade Fire. The sushi was delicious that first time and has been equally satisfying on the several occasions we've visited since. Tsunami is a fairly swanky spot in the Gold Coast area of Chicago. It's much larger than it appears, with back rooms and seating on the 2nd floor. They also have a nice patio with doors opening to the main dining room. It is a bit pricey, but in line with other Japanese restaurants of similar caliber. Tsunami has a nice selection of vegetarian and seafood rolls as well as a full menu of other Japanese specialties. The reviews on Yelp are rather mixed, but I definitely recommend it if you are looking for sushi in Chicago.

There were five of us so we ordered a bunch of rolls to share. The best thing about ordering sushi in bulk is that they bring it out on a big boat!

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Chicago : Chicago Cupcakes

2008-07-28T10:19:00.012-04:00

These posts are not in order chronologically, sorry. Technically the first cupcakes we ate were from Chicago Cupcakes. The name of the place might actually just be "Cupcakes," but that's just too confusing. All of the cupcakes we tried there were good. Several of them were fantastic, but overall I think they weren't quite as good as the cupcakes from Molly's Cupcakes. Also, I took these photos on the table at the front of the (tiny) shop and just as I was snapping the last one they told me I couldn't take pictures in there. Luckily I was pretty much finished because, although the to go boxes do a good job of protecting the cupcakes, the frosting definitely wasn't as pretty when we got the them home.

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Chicago : Molly's Cupcakes

2008-07-26T13:05:00.016-04:00

Last weekend Christine, Mariann, and I were in Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival. Well, Mariann was already there but Christine (plus Ginny and Jocelyn!) and I were just visiting. In between the music we ate some yummy food and LOTS of cupcakes. We loved Molly's Cupcakes so much that we visited twice in one day. The cupcakes are that good. Seriously.

Mikado

2008-07-22T18:02:00.005-04:00

Of all the Japanese restaurants in Bloomington, Mikado is probably the nicest. And by nicest I mean most expensive. The decor isn't particularly fancy or trendy, like Japanee or Sushi Bar, but Mikado has an air of classiness that the other restaurants don't have. But it's not so fancy that you can't wear jeans and a tee shirt. The wait staff wear dress shirts and are usually quite professional and attentive. The best thing about Mikado is their huge selection of creative and delicious specialty rolls. These tend to run anywhere from $7-$18 per roll, so I usually end up spending more at Mikado then at Japanee or Sushi Bar.

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Olive Garden

2008-07-14T07:58:00.002-04:00

Whenever I'm in the mood for giant portions of sodium+butter+cream laden pasta, naturally, I head for Olive Garden. This time, Mariann was down from Chicago for the weekend so we had a mini girls night out. Lots of people think Olive Garden is evil, and it probably is, but Bloomington is surprisingly deficient in Italian Restaurants.

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Japanee

2008-07-01T12:10:00.001-04:00

Japanee was pretty much my first Japanese food experience. Although my family has always been big on ethnic food, Japanese was never on our radar. Maybe because it tends to be pricier than Chinese, Thai, etc. Anyway, for our first few visits Japanee was called Japonais. They eventually changed their name because of the much more famous Japonais which totally had dibs. The restaurant is decorated in a sort of contemporary trendy style, with flat screen tvs and electro-indie music playing. The tables and chairs that are all just a tad too low or high to be comfortable. If you're going with a group, there are private karaoke rooms that you can reserve

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Restaurant Tallent

2008-06-25T14:04:00.002-04:00

Reviewed by Christine and Aubrey

Aubrey, Mariann and I dined at Tallent a few weeks ago with our friend Stephanie. We were celebrating Mariann's awesome new internship and sending her off to Chicago. Restaurant Tallent, near the downtown square in Bloomington, is one of best places to eat in town. Part of the slow food movement, Tallent uses locally grown produce and locally raised meat whenever possible. Their seasonal menu is always full of creative and delicious combinations of ingredients. From that description you know it's going to be pretty pricey. The entrées range from $21 for the veggie, to $35 for local elk. Appetizers aren't cheap either, with only the soup under $10 (barely).

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Ireland Part 1 : Traditional Irish Breakfast

2008-06-02T13:35:00.023-04:00

In April, Aubrey and I travelled to Ireland. In addition to seeing many wonderful sites like Blarney Castle and the Cliffs of Moher, we ate delicious food every day.

We stayed in B&Bs every day, which meant delicious home-cooked and traditional Irish Breakfasts. A traditional Irish breakfast includes black and white pudding (blood and liver sausage), Irish sausage, Irish bacon, fried eggs, and tomatoes. Pretty much everywhere we ate also provided a nice sideboard of fresh fruit, cereal, yogurts, and soda bread with jam.

Clare Inn : Our first breakfast was served at the Clare Inn. We incorrectly assumed it was buffet style, when in fact, it was actually a serving line. We were intimidated and only ended up trying sausage, fried eggs, bacon, and potatoes. There was also a cold buffet which included fruit, granola, and juices. The food was okay, but it definitely had a mass produced feel to it. (Aubrey: We had to get used to how different things tasted. Irish bacon is sort of like a cross between American Bacon and "Canadian Bacon". Also the eggs tasted funny, but maybe that was just cause they had been sitting around under a heat lamp.)

Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast : Our next stop was An Daingean, Dingle Town, where we stayed at a really nice B&B. There was a breakfast menu with several options. Aubrey chose the full Irish breakfast, while I selected smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Salmon in Ireland is amazing. This was also our first sample of black and white pudding. While Aubrey could not get over the thought of congealed blood and liver, I was able to put it out of my mind and I thought it was delicious. (Aubrey: I ate half of each before passing them off to Christine. I thought they both tasted pretty good, I just couldn't make my brain NOT think about the ingredients. I think this was probably the nicest breakfast we had. It's also where I became addicted to Irish bread and butter, SO good).

Seagull house : The Seagull house is a quaint bed and breakfast in the middle of Kinsale. The owner, Mary, cooked us a nice, though standard, Irish breakfast. The meal felt the most home-cooked and personal. (Aubrey: No pics, I forgot!)

Fern Hill : Our host in Tramore, Mary, was most accommodating and served us a full Irish breakfast, which we enjoyed on the sun patio. Delicious and filling. Also included were an assortment of goat cheeses. (Aubrey: IMO not quite as good as some of the other breakfasts, yummy bread though.)

Cornerville : We stayed two nights at the Cornerville in Sutton, just outside of Dublin. Our host, Andy, was very hospitable, and even offered to cook us breakfast at 7 am the last day so that we could catch our flight back home. His breakfasts were delicious and included all the traditional options. Surprisingly, this was the only breakfast (besides the buffet style of the Clare Inn) that included potatoes. They were served in the form of a tasty hashbrown, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Andy also treated us to baked beans, which were to be eaten on top of toast. Simple, but surprisingly delicious. (Aubrey: these weren't the most photogenic breakfasts but they were probably the most satisfying. Especially after a night out at Temple Bar...)

Aubrey: Since we've been back I've definitely missed having a full breakfast every morning. I've tried to cook my own fried eggs, but so far haven't been particularly successful. Sure they're edible, but they don't even compare to what we were served in Ireland. Sigh.

Noodles & Company

2008-05-27T23:07:00.008-04:00

I have a bit of an addiction to Noodles & Company. At least once a week I end up there for lunch. It's just super convenient to my work and service is so fast! It's pretty cheap for a big bowl of noodles. There are "~~Italian~~ Mediterranean," "Asian," and "American" options. In quotes because I don't quite trust the authenticity of any of their ethnic dishes. But I don't care about that, because they all taste good! So for around $8 you can get a huge bowl of noodles plus a protein. OR a smaller bowl of noodles plus a soup or salad and a protein. Pretty good deal if you ask me, especially for dinner. And you don't have to tip! At least I never do. They don't have a tip jar after all, and it's not an option on the receipt.

I rotate through several of the different noodle dishes. Most often I order the Pesto Cavatappi, pictured above. It's not too basil-y which I like. And it's garlicky without being overpowering. It has a few veggies in there, mostly mushrooms and a few random tomatoes, but not quite enough to be healthy. Lately I've been adding asparagus which is delicious. It does add an extra $1.25 to the price though. You could buy a soda with that extra money! I always get the parmesan crusted chicken with the pesto. It is delicious. Yummy crispy/crunchy cheese all over and I've never gotten any sketchy pieces.

The other "Mediterranean" dish I get a lot is the Penne Rosa. It is penne pasta, obviously, served with a spicy creamy tomato sauce. The sauce is delicious with a surprising kick. And it's creamy without being too rich. The veggies are wilted spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Like the Pesto Cavatappi, I usually order it with the parmesan chicken.

My other top choice is the Japanese Pan Noodles. Thick udon noodles in a dark spicy/sweet dark soy sauce carmelized slightly from a quick pan fry. Sometimes they are a little crispy on the outside which is awesome with the chewiness of the noodle. Included vegetables are carrots, yummy mushrooms, and too few broccolis. It would be more perfect if they included more pieces of broccoli, you're lucky if you get four. For the protein I've ordered it with shrimp, which was just okay, seared beef and tofu. Both the tofu and beef are good choices, they pair really well with the sauce. I keep meaning to try the Indonesian Peanut Saute, but I always end up with the safe choice, because I know it's good. Maybe next time!

If it's cold and/or rainy or if you're in a bad mood or feeling like you need something rich and comforting the Mushroom Stroganoff is the way to go. Thick, wavy egg noodles in a creamy stroganoff. You can taste the sherry really well in the cream sauce. I order it with the braised beef, which is always extra tender and tasty. The Wisconsin Mac & Cheese is also great for a comfort food fix. It is cheesetastic and delicious. But SO rich. The regular portion is just too much cheese and pasta for a normal human. But leftovers are good!

Go to the Noodles website for the full menu. You can also sign up for the email list and get awesome coupons. For signing up I got a bogo coupon for a regular size order. Anyway, it's not like gourmet or anything but it is cheapish and filling and tasty.

Noodles & Company
Bloomington Von Lee
517 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: (812) 323-1400

Sushi Bar

2008-05-25T14:05:00.012-04:00

Of the four sushi restaurants in Bloomington Sushi Bar is probably the cheapest. They have a good balance of cheap rolls ($3-$5) and specialty rolls ($9-$15). But just like most sushi spots it's easy to rack up a huge bill by adding a few extras to your meal.

There are a few rolls we always get at Sushi Bar. The Asparagus Tempura Roll is great, with just enough eel sauce to keep it moist. We often get a Sweet Potato Tempura roll which is usually pretty good. They have a large selection of vegetarian rolls and, of course, they tend to be cheaper than the rolls with fish. A fairly cheap yummy roll is the Crispy Spicy Yellowtail, which is best if it's served hot. It can get kinda mushy if it sits around. The jaguar roll is good if you're in the mood for some deep fried deliciousness (see it at the bottom of this photo). A lot of their fishy rolls have tobiko in them, but if you want a roll where it's the main event try the Angel. It's one of Sushi Bar's more expensive rolls. Also good for a splurge is the Statue of Liberty Roll, which is topped with lobster. Not super high quality lobster but still yummy. My absolute favorite roll, though, is the Tiger. It has spicy tuna or crab (not sure which...) inside with fresh tuna, tempura flakes, and spicy sauce over the top.

Last time Mariann and I went we tried the Twins Roll, pictured above and here. It was okay. The mango on top was good but the texture wasn't great and it wasn't particularly flavorful. If we could just order a selection of rolls from Japanee, Mikado, Domo, and Sushi Bar I think we could create the perfect meal. Anyway, more on those restaurants later.

Sushi Bar

2522 E. 10th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408

(812) 331-7688

Check out the menu at Straight2YourDoor.