Special update- Holiday in Chicago 2012

Deep dish onion and pepperoni pizza

slice of pizza

Palm Beach Mahi Mahi with crab potato hash and sweet corn bisque

Chicago style hot dog

Linguini & clams 

Well this is a special post , as normally i would talk strictly about 1 meal or 1 evenings events. This is about my vacation i was on last week in Chicago and besides being 1 of the most visually stunning cities i have ever seen or visited , it is a city rich in world class cuisine. On Night 1 we went to McCormicks and Schmicks for a nice seafood dinner. I know what you're thinking, K Dawg you have a McCormicks and Schmicks in Boston why would you go there. The answer is simple, it was near the hotel and the city was H O T T T that night, and quite frankly i don't go to the one in Boston anyways so it was a treat to go there. I had some amazing Mahi mahi(pictured above) and a fabulous peach cobbler for dessert.  After dinner we walked around the city and took in the amazing view along the Chicago River. Day 2 , started off with a bust, lousy hotel 71 breakfast buffet. I can't stand these type of meals  (with the exception of Amreins in South Boston). But there was a huge rebound at lunch at the recommendation of several friends we had deep dish pizza at Giordano's (right near the Sears "now called Willis" Tower) This pizza (pictured above) was amazing, very filling and delicious. The crust is different than any pizza i had before, and the sauce is a little sweeter than what i am used too. I had 2 slices and that was a mistake, because this is a VERY heavy pizza.  That night after some more site seeing, we went to Harry Carey's Italian Steakhouse for supper. That place is quite a site to behold, we got there at 7:00 and was told there would be a 45 minute wait, but 10 minutes later we were at our table. The lobby of the restaurant is great, its filled with pictures from all sort of celebrities having there picture taken with Harry when he was alive, or the huge bust of his head in lobby next to the hostess station. Normally when i go to a steak house i get steak, but i was still pretty full from the pizza at lunch, so i got something i have never had before, the linguini and clams. It was amazing, the sauce was a garlic and oil with a lot of clams mixed in. Also very filling but busting with garlic flavor. 

Day 3 was a quiet day, did a nice architecture boat tour, that was a great way to see the city from the water.  For lunch we went to the billy goat tavern, kind of let down but i was a lil tired from a lot of walking. But i did try another Chicago specialty dish, an Italian Beef sandwich, which is an overstuffed Roast beef sandwich in a sub roll , with peppers and the whole sandwich is dunked in Au Jus before they give it to you, bread and all.  It was tasty but WAY too big , and i didn't want anything too big since i was having dinner with my friend Christina who lived in Chicago.  Christina recommended a fantastic Cuban restaurant 90 Miles Cuban Cafe , which was new to both of us. The plantains were delicious, and we ordered an extra plate...i want some now thinking about them. I can't recall the dish i ordered but it was a pulled beef dinner, with peppers, white rice , plantains and black beans. 

After dinner Christina took us too Mario's Italian Lemonade where we both got Italian ices, i got lime and Christina got watermelon. They were fabulous, i never had an Italian ice that was so flavorful. Then she took me over to see the United Center and a nice drive along lake Michigan. 

Day 4 was spent visiting the town outside Chicago that my Grandfather Mike Boyle, lived in back in the 1920's , where he worked on the street cars.   Then after that we visited some nice museums,and then went to the Navy Pier for supper, and to watch the beautiful fire works show they put on every Wednesday and Saturday.  The pier was great with all the typical junk food booths available, as well as a smaller Harry Carey tavern.  They play great music, and the view of the city from the pier at night, is truly magical.  

Now as we were leaving to go home it dawned on me i didn't have a Chicago style hot dog, and while i wouldn't have called the trip a failure if i didn't get one, i did want to try one while i was there. Thankfully O'Hare airport had an American Dawg ( i think that was the name) and since i never eat on planes and it was lunch time while we were waiting , i decided to throw caution to the wind and ordered a hot dog with the works. Normally i am very basic with my hot dogs , raw onions, relish and mustard (Never ketchup/catsup !!) , this Chicago style came with Bright green relish, onions, mustard, tomato, cucumber(which i don't like) , peppers, and celery salt.  I have to say this combo works! It was very tasty. I would probably never go to that effort if i was cooking a hot dog at home, but i would order it again the next time i go to the Windy City. 

I am home now, and hopefully will be going out to eat soon and i will get back to making some local recommendations.  But for now i will simply say I would recommend Chicago to anyone looking for a vacation. It has the big feel of a big city but not so big that you feel like you would get lost in the hustle & bustle. 

Thats all for now have a great night and a good meal.

xoxo

Kevin M. Boyle 

Day 9 1st meal at the beach of 2012

 I am not a big beach person i must confess, but 1 big perk of living so close to a beach is having good seafood restaurants within walking distance. This was my first trip to Tony's Clam box on Quincy Shore Drive this year. I had the fried clam platter, (i know some people just like the strips but i get the whole clams...love the bellies too) The portions are perfect, the clams are cooked just right and the batter is not overwhelming, you can taste the a hint of sea water off of them. Tony's give you plenty of clams, and not just a few with a load of French Fries,  although the fries are pretty fantastic too. I am a huge fan of the cole slaw, not too mayonasiey (i made up this word) and very flavorful. I had a lovely iced tea that was quite refreshing and you could tell was fresh brewed.  

The beauty of eating at Tonys is after eating a big meal you are already at the beach to walk off some of the calories you just put on.  

Thats all for now, have a good night and a good meal.

Kevin 

Day 8, breakfast in Milton

Mediterranean Omelette (baby spinach,tomatoes,  feta cheese and kalamata olives)

look at how cute that lil bottle of ketchup is that they give you

 buttermilk pancake with bananas and strawberries.

Well this morning after mass i had all intentions of going grocery shopping, but instead i am so weak willed i was easily talked into going out for breakfast. So we went to the Milton Marketplace, and upstairs is the Marketplace Cafe. This is a lovely cosy lil restaurant. They have a very small menu for breakfast and a 1 page menu for lunch.  I had a delicious Mediterranean omelette, something i have never tried there before, i usually get the french toast. But i was glad i decided to be a little daring and order something different.  The omelette was cooked perfectly, and is a perfect size. A lot of places make them so big and stuffed with add in's that when you are done you are so full you can't even move. This kept me full all day but not uncomfortably. They always seem to sneak a piece  of fruit on all their dishes which i like, it can be refreshing, My 1 complaint about this meal normally would seem trivial, but because this is 1 of my FAVORITE things to order out i was pretty disappointed , when i ordered a grilled english muffin on the side, and when it came out it was toasted and not even fully toasted for that matter. So i didn't even bother eating it. I would send it back , but the place was packed this morning and i didn't want to wait for it to come back.  Their coffee is lovely but they could come around more often with refills. The staff is extremely pleasant though, and apologetic if you were kept waiting.  They also give each table a tiny little bottle of ketchup, and even though i don't care for ketchup on my eggs the bottle is too cute for words.  

I love the Milton Market place shopping area, it has a great gourmet grocery store on the 1st floor and is a good place to find items you might not normally find in Stop N Shop or a Hannford's. They are a little pricier for a lot of their products, but for items you might not find in other places its worth the little extra $. 

Thats all for now.

Have a good night and a good meal.

Kevin

Day 7 , My night in Cambridge

 Entree....Camaro molho d'Alho  -Grilled shrimp in butter and garlic with rice and homemade potato chips

 cocktails .....mine was the middle drink, it had coffee liquor, blackberrys, an egg , privateer amber & punt e mes

 molotoff ... a merengue dessert with a nice cream sauce.

Well tonight i had dinner in Inman Square in Cambridge, at a lovely Portuguese restaurant called Casa Portugal with my friends Paul and Yari.  This was an unexpected choice and quite a refreshing surprise.  i had never had Portuguese cuisine before.  This is a quaint restaurant with great atmosphere, i was not quite sure what to expect but had an absolutely delicious meal. The shrimps were cooked perfectly and the sauce was rich and flavorful. The rice was cooked with a lot of garlic (which to me is a good thing) and the homemade chips were quite nice, Paul ordered a great Portuguese white wine and then he and i each got a dessert,  i got something called a Molotoff which is like a merengue pudding with a cream sauce.  I would highly recommend Casa Portugal to anyone, food and atmosphere are really quite worth the trip. 

Afterwards we went for a quick walk to Central Square to Craigies on Main st. for after dinner cocktails. Yari had a beer, Paul had a French 75 (gin, champagne, lemon juice and syrup) and i had the above pictured  drink.  It was quite delicious i must say, i ordered it based on its description and thankfully it worked out...whew !  

I look forward to going back and trying the food as it seemed like a pretty cool place, of course i was with some cool folks so that helped.   : -) 

thats all for tonight.

have a good night and a good meal

Kevin 

Day 6 My favorite breakfast place , The Friendly Toast

  

Seinfeld had his coffeeshop, Friends had Central Perk , Norm had Cheers and I have the Friendly Toast in Kendal Square, Cambridge. This is my favorite breakfast joint, the food is incredible and a little different than what you might find at your normal neighborhood breakfast place. What you see above is the pancakes with toffee crumbles,  they were amazing.  Sweet but not overly, but no need for syrup. I have tried several menu items and a few daily specials here with no regrets.  The pumpkin pancakes are my favorite, with home made whipped cream and filled with raisinettes they are a party in your mouth. 

The staff is very friendly (no pun intended) and the restaurant is unlike most, the bar is lined with Garbage pail kids stickers and mah jong tiles.  I find great pride in recommending the Friendly toast to friends and love to hear stories about how much others enjoy the Friendly Toast after they try it. 

In fact if you feel like trying it, let me know i would love to join you for breakfast. 

Have a great night and a great meal.

xoxo Kevin

http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/

Day 5 dinner Maki Maki and the Funky Bunch at Fuji1546

Dish 1. Philly Maki(smoked salmon,cream cheese and Avacado) and Red Crab Maki (red crab,tobkio,and asparagus  rolled together and topped with sake.

the appetizer; Edamame(salted steamed soy beans)

Well tonight was another treat, i haven't had good sushi in a long time. This was very tasty and the restaurant Fuji 1546 was a pleasant surprise.  The waitress could have been a lil more helpful with questions i asked, at 1 point i asked her if what i ordered was a safe choice for someone who doesn't eat much sushi and her response was "Well you know its raw fish right?"  Ummmm yes hun i was aware.
But otherwise they were very good, my water glass was filled almost after every sip i took, and i needed water after every bite of wasabi (that stuff will clear your sinuses,  yikes)
It seemed like a great date restaurant , it has a nice atmosphere and the music isn't too loud so you hear yourself and anyone your sitting with.  They have a giant screen tv on in the back of the restaurant which would be great for watching a game, but at the time we were there they had on an episode of Bones (which seemed unnecessary).
FYI the funky bunch was Paul and Joanne and i couldn't asked for nicer company.

So  have a good night and a good meal

Kevin

Day 4 Fried Oyster tacos

So today i had lunch at the Summer Shack in Hingham, and had the Fried Oyster Tacos. I am a huge fan of fried oysters and have never tried them this way , they were fantastic. The salsa was fantastic and the remoulade was very flavorful and it had just the right amount of spice too it.  This was a very generous portion as well.  My 1 mistake was getting a cup of chowder with it, NOT that the chowder wasn't delicious, it was !  But it their version of a cup is the size of a cereal bowl, so it filled me up before the tacos even arrived. But i can't wait to go back to the Derby St. mall so i can go back here,  and also because in the same mall is White's bakery and that place is just outstanding ...i don't think they know how to make anything poorly.  The key lime pie was amazing.

Good night and Good meal

Kevin

Day 3 Cambodian Food

   This was the first time i have ever tried Cambodian food, and i have to say Thmor Da in Revere was the perfect place to try it for the first time.  The restaurant is quite small, but it has a cozy feel to it, the staff was very friendly and helpful in describing things to us. My friend Paul and i both got the same dish, the crispy yellow noodles, with shrimp and an egg on top. This was absolutely delicious, very flavorful. The green vegetables  are chinese broccoli, another item i have never had before but i thoroughly enjoyed. I don't know if my picture does it justice but this is a very generous portion, with an abundance of shrimp under the egg.  The above drink is called an Egg soda,  it is just what its name describes; 2 egg yolks, soda water and vanilla.  Never quite had a drink like it, and it was delicious. I would order it again, but maybe not with a heavy meal as its a filling drink. Its quite sweet also. 

The restaurant is quite near Revere beach so after eating your meal, you can go for a nice relaxing walk on the beach to help digest the meal. If you go, and you have room in your tummy, get a soft serve and sit on the beach...amazing people watching location. 

Have a great night and a great meal.

Kevin

Day 2 Flour Bakery

Today we were treated to Sticky Buns from the famous Flour Bakery. These are amazing,  the best way to describe them is little dreams dipped in caramel and topped with nuts. They are so sweet and moist , and quite filling. My pal Neil and i both skipped lunch after eating 1.
I keep going to Flour and have all intentions of trying something new, but every time  i always go back to my first love....the sticky bun.

Have a delicious weekend everyone !

Kevin

http://flourbakery.com/