extra-ordinary ordinaries

Little Goat Diner, Chicago

2013-04-10T18:53:00.001-07:00

I happened to be visiting Chicago in December and during those weeks - Little Goat opened. My friend suggested we go and because we went on a weekday during the day time, the wait time was not too arduous - maybe about 30minutes which we spent in the bakery next door sampling bread, raiding the merchandise and drinking coffee.

So this place is crazy popular because it is owned by Stephanie Izzard (winner of Top Chef - a very popular American cooking show much like our Masterchef here). We happened to see her working in the kitchen too during our visit - makes sense because it had just opened - you probably don't want your newborn baby suckling from someone else's teat...

The restaurant is huge, natural lighted and airy. There is a mixture of booths, bar seating and table seating - thank you for not making it tiny and exclusive. I would hate to think of the wait times then. The need for a big space is justified - even on a weekday this place has human lines wrapped around the front.

The diner menu is both novel and extensive with a lot of Asian influences on the menu - coincidentally we ordered all three Asian inspired dishes - kimchee pancakes, porkbelly, and breakfast spaghetti.

All three dishes were beautiful - the textures in my kimchee pancakes - a mixture of softness of the pancakes topped off with crispy kimchee. We were all very impressed with Kyle's epic Milkshake which was so sky high we watched its creamy milky goodness runneth over.

Definitely recommend this as a must dine in Chicago for brunch or supper.

Cheesy garlic french bread

Milk shake - EPIC!!!

Brandade and belly benedict - brandade, porkbelly, eggs, biscuit and kimchi

"Kimchee and Bacon and Eggs and Pancakes Asian style - Breakfast Tasty Thing"

Breakfast spaghetti and clams

Add caption

Coffee! yum yum

Sampling beet bread at the interconnected bakery

Exit through the gift shop! Merchandise!

Sylvia's - Harlem NYC

2013-04-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Best waffles I've ever had in my life!" - one of the guys at our table exclaimed.
So good that I find myself with no choice but to put the two photos of the dish in succession below - almost identical but not superfluous exquisite food porn.

"best waffles of my life" + best fried chicken of my life.

Ready to tuck into some good southern lovin'.

Staff singing happy birthday to lucky diners.

[TANGENT ALERT!]

Having been brought up in Australia - we don't really have a lot of choice in terms of fried chicken - you have a choice of well - KFC or... KFC. Let me tell you know KFC while at the bottom of the food chain in USA is at a premium here.

Two pieces of chicken, chips and a drink and you're looking at very close to $10. Although very recently - i have been informed of the dirty bird special on Tuesdays - 9 pieces for $9.95 which is not too shabby. I probably won't recommend this. Now let me tell you why. Out of curiosity, while watching THE BIGGEST LOSER - we googled how much of our daily intake just two pieces of KFC would take up.

Two breasts amounted to close to 4000KJ which amounts to almost half of average adult quota of 8700KJ. I was blown away, shell shocked. So 9 pieces x 1920kj = 17,280KJ, well in excess of my 8,700 quota. GASP. It's still shocking me even now - I am even afraid to think thoughts of the dirty bird.

[END TANGENT]

I am not a consciously healthy eater as you have seen by my food choices. But I will say that everything should be consumed in moderation and Sylvia's is a "TREAT YOURSELF" food. Save it for a special occasion - your heart will thank you.

The waffles and chicken are deep fried to perfection which presents you with an amazing CRUNCH when you bite in and tear away some white chicken flesh or fluffy waffle innards. Salads, greens - let's not bother today - you are going to struggle to finish anything in excess of the chicken and waffle. They are just extra kilo joules which you can do without today. Do get some unsweetened ice tea to wash it down with however.

Staff are amazing and make great recommendations. The hospitality is genuine and friendly - we saw staff all come out and sing happy birthday to some lucky diner.

Now do yourself a favour - get some chicken and waffles in Harlem. Make that trip out of Manhattan - you will thank me for it.

Gramercy Tavern - NYC

2013-03-24T17:06:00.002-07:00

Gramercy Tavern. So one night, we were wandering about in the horrible rain and cold searching for refuge and a place to eat. Just so happens we were in the Flatiron district and just a block or so away from Gramercy Tavern which came highly recommended by friends.

We bounded on in like drowned rats - greeted by a lovely coatroom attendant who happily took our wet coats and plastic bags. We were taken to the bar and told there would be a 45minute wait - which we think of as nothing as this is so common in this populous city.

There are a LOT of people milling about the bar and there was no name or number given - which is why somewhat miraculously, at 45minutes on the dot, the maitre d' walks over and apologises for the delay. We are informed would have a table within 5 minutes - we hadn't even realised 45mins had passed! We take our drinks to our table and continue from there.

We are immediately plied with delicious warmed in house bread and butter. This was refilled as the dinner progressed. It is delicious and I have to remind myself to practise self restraint.

Tavern Menu!

Hot apple cider

Crispy duckleg - so so rich and tender.

Selection of cheeses to finish

ZOMG - piece de resistance - Chocolate Pudding, Salted Caramel and Toffee Popcorn

Souvenirs for the road!

Gramercy Tavern makes you feel as though you are dining in a local restaurant in the countryside - hardwood floors, clustered arrangements of cherrywood chairs and tables densely pack the dining room. You almost expect people to turn up in thick red woolen sweaters or turtlenecks. During the time of our visit in December - Christmas trees with fairy lights dot the room - garlands and fat balls of dark green holly and festive season decorations hang from the wooden ceiling.

Every single dish we order and ate were exceptional and the service incredible. Staff are experienced and meticulous and at the same time friendly and personable. All our needs are preempted - there is a never the need to ask for more water or bread as this is constantly refilled seamlessly.

Normally I skip dessert where I have had some really good savoury mains because they don't seem to do desserts well. DO NOT SKIP IT HERE - these desserts are not just a "oh-by-the-way-here's-a-scoop-of-icecream-for $15" ...the chocolate pudding, salted caramel and toffee popcorn - hands down my favourite dish. But I am afterall, a sweet toothed savage.

One of those unforgettable dinner nights in NYC.

Kyotofu - Hell's Kitchen Manhattan side, NYC

2013-03-24T16:21:00.001-07:00

Kyotofu - restaurant famous for Japanese inspired desserts.

Best for an intimate night out - the small tables do not allow for groups of more than 2-3 people. You will find it next to impossible to find a table for more than that - or you will probably just wait until the end of eternity.

We came with six and our group ended up splitting in two - the other 3 not as keen on dessert wandered off to an Irish bar on the next block.

As we are only in NYC once - we go for broke and order a dessert each with a hot beverage - teas and a green tea latte

The most impressive looking is the seasonal sundae composed mostly of non-ice cream/sorbet treats i.e plump squishy mochi (glutinous rice balls) and yude azuki (red bean) and topped with a green candy star.

The green tea creme brulee is an interesting twist on the traditional creme brulee. There is no nice loud crack when we break it open however - which is somewhat disappointing.

Sweet tofu - we did not expect this to come out like this at all. We expected to see soft silken tofu in a bowl but instead it came in a tiny glass - while beautiful - quantity wise you feel a bit ripped off.

They truly are Asian influenced desserts and due to the nature of textures and flavours - it is definitely an acquired taste if you have not eaten a lot of Asian desserts before.

They were without doubt - beautiful desserts and tastewise - pretty good. Nothing out of this world but it is perhaps I came expecting too much!

Winter Anmitsu - Mochi, yude adzuki (red bean), sorbet with candy star

Signature Sweet Tofu, black sugar syrup with black sesame tuille

Green Tea Creme Brulee

Winter Anmitsu with Green Tea Latte

Trio of desserts - creme brulle, winter anmitsu and sweet tofu

Prosperity Dumpling, Chinatown NYC

2013-03-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

here we go again - on the hunt for the best bang for our buck in NYC and we find ourselves in Chinatown at Prosperity DUMPLING house. They need giant signs to find this place as everything looks the same. It is so tiny and dingy looking - looking like every other eatery in Chinatown that we walk past it twice before finally realisation kicks in and the hamster starts running on the wheel.

we go at an odd time which is probably why we have missed the significant queuing we encounter the next day when we return.

we are absolutely flabbergasted at the sign which read 5 pork dumplings for $1.00. Kyle wipes his eyes several times and exclaims multiple times, "How are they making ANY profit?"; "How is possible?"; "Just How?!"

Woah 5 pork dumplings for $1

Everyone orders 5 pork and chive dumplings fried for $1.00 and flood it with a side of soy and hot srichcha rooster sauce.

Every 20c bite is a bite of chewy fried dumpling skin and delightfully mixture of juicy chives pork.

Kyle unable to resist temptation orders a side of boiled dumplings (8 for $2? i think).

This is too much for one fasian person and he must concede defeat and asks me to assist in helping him. I humbly oblige.

After we leave - we all unanimously agree that this is the best bang for a $1 in NYC. We are deliriously happy and can't wait to tell everyone about it.

Kyle declares that he's going to come back to NYC to have them again - he would technically be saving MONEY really if he flew all the way back here to have a year's worth of dumpling - amortised over the cost of the flight.

It's going to be a story for the grandkids he continues, "Back in 2012, your granddad flew all the way to NYC and had 5 dumplings for $1. YES FIVE for ONE DOLLAR."

But what about Time Square, Granddad Ho? What about Time Square?

Future Granddad Ho: "One word - UNDERWHELMING."

*Queue the crushing of hopes and dreams*

5 pork dumplings for $1.00

Throw in a warm 'small' soy milk for $1.00 - it's actually HUGE

smashed my dumplings. Kyle plows on with his soup dumplings too

eclectic mix of people from far and wide - coming together in celebration of 5 dumplings for $1

FIRST AID FOR CHOKING: Must happen quite often here as it displayed with prominence. Not unimaginable - especially if you are very hungry and start shovelling dumplings and suddenly realise you only paid $1 DOLLAR!

the face of a guy who has eaten way too much.

Momofuku Milk Bar

2013-03-23T23:00:00.002-07:00

Oooh dessert lover's haven @ Momofuku Milk Bar.

We hunted this down and hooked ourselves up with a cereal softserve each.

The servings are so generous. The cereal softserve icecream is not overly sweet and tastes of when milk which has been sitting with your breakfast cornflakes.

Quite a nice way to finish the evening.

Breakfast for dessert - yum.

Breakfast food is taking over the world, transcending the barrier of time. yay.

wish i had tried this 'crack pie'...

cereal softserve with cornflakes

Grimaldi's, DUMBO in NYC

2013-03-23T22:42:00.001-07:00

"I'm gonna make you a pizza you can't refuse."

Coal brick oven pizzeria down under manhattan bridge overpass (DUMBO) on the Brooklyn side of NYC. Grimaldi's pizzeria. There are going pizzerias all over town claiming to have the best pizza. But you can't go wrong with a classic.

Grimaldi's DUMBO - has the NYC pizza, the location and a very interesting maitre d'. Unfortunately it also has the crowds with fellow pizza hunters.

Worth our 30 minute wait in the rain without raincoats and umbrellas?

Enduring a start to finish athletic heckling by the maitre d' because i piped up enthusiastically, "YES! TABLE FOR THREE" because I thought he was talking to me but in actuality was directed to the guys behind us...?

Resounding hell yes! all around.

When confronted with the age old question, shall we order a medium or large? Go for the latter EVERY SINGLE TIME. Thanks Kyle Ho for teaching us that vauable lesson. We did contemplate the medium but after demolishing the large - we now know the answer to the question.

The pizza base is everything it should be - thin, crisp crust balanced with soft doughy semolina aftertaste. Natural tomato sauce based, charred dough bubbles, stretchy melted mozzarella. Toppings of choice from the menu - we have pork, spinach and mushroom.

All this with drinks for little over $20 for three.

MMM dough bubble

Obligatory asian tourist pose

Chefs at work creating delicious pizza

Grimaldi's caption

Grimaldi's caption on the back of waiter's shirt

Mmmm fresh mozzarella

Stumptown coffee roasters, NYC

2013-03-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Stumptown coffee roasters.

An unintentional long walk from 42nd compliments of a deceptive not-to-scale map. Massive line which wrapped around the coffee bar and spilling into the lobby of the Ace hotel. 30 minute wait later. Finally - standing at the bar, watching the passerbys throught the glass. Something so simple - just milk with coffee; so perfect.

They say America has some horrendous brown liquid, but it also has some of the best stuff.

Something so simple so perfect

Phwoar - that was a good brew.

"Harry Smith, painter, archivist, anthropologist, film-maker & hermetic alchemist, his last week
at Breslin Hotel Manhattan January 12, 1985, transforming milk into milk." -Allen Ginsberg
Print on the walls inside the Ace Hotel

Baohaus, East Village NYC

2013-03-23T21:37:00.004-07:00

Haus bao ($3.90) and Adobo Bao ($3.50)

Owner - Eddie Huang

So you find yourself in the East Village at 3pm and it's that weird time between lunch and dinner and you probably are not going to survive until dinner.

Cheap cheerful snackfood time @ Baohaus.

My friend obsessed about this place and sent me to this joint. Funnily enough, cue coincidence - the owner Eddie Huang (who my friend is also obsessed with) is there being interviewed by a reporter.

So, think steam buns but burger form. The buns are asian inspired with a western twist. What is normally concealed inside a steamed flat-bottomed spherical bun is spilling out on display here. Wedged between thick flat milky white steamed bun. There are several buns to choose from - and mostly with non traditional innards. But sometimes tradition must yield to change and innovation - otherwise we'd probably still be munching on boiled potatoes and rice.

Add this to your under $10 eats in NYC.

99c fresh pizza

2013-03-23T21:17:00.002-07:00

Uhhh, 99c fresh pizza - and that's inclusive of tax. Need I say more?

Guess I could! I spent a day in NYC trying to find the cheapest street foods and I realised that it clearly is possible to eat several meals in NYC (renowned to be one of the most expensive cities IN THE WORLD) for less than $10 a day - and that is CUMULATIVE.

While it is home to some of the most expensive dining options in the world - again I repeat - it is a city of food opportunities. You can make it what you want - NYC can be the cheapest dining destination you could ever find. And you don't have to eat out of a garbage dumpster.

To borrow a quote from the Bible,

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Shake Shack - Theatre District, NYC

2013-03-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

My 19 year old cousin likes to 'youth-anise' by making me do youth-related activities. Sorry - politically incorrect pun aside..

She messages me from Australia and instructs me to go find shake shake and dine there.

I tell her I have never eaten so much fast food in my life already and am hesitant to continue this unhealthy trend. However I tell her I am doing this for her... "for her"...

On the menu - the standard single hamburger with lettuce onion and tomato. Crinkle cut thick fries from yukon potatoes. What makes the shake shack so appealing is because it's a novel twist on your average burger joint. The food is wrapped in clean white paper and presented unsoggy and appealing.

Yes the food is fast but the atmosphere facilitates and encourages a dining sit in experience.

What was previously a faux-pas - i.e meeting friends for a catchup at Macdonald's or KFC - seems normal and nice at Shake Shack. There are no bright neon lights (except for the signage on the outside) nor are there glaring red and yellow primary colour paint screaming at you to EAT YOUR FOOD AND GO GO GO or (G.T.F.O - i'll let you decipher that one).

The frozen custards are aptly named concretes. I literally receive a block of salty peanut butter concrete in my shakeshack takeout cup. when i see it - i regret it immediately. my heart senses the oncoming onslaught and decidedly packs up shop, scuttling away into a very dark corner.

ess-a-bagel, NYC

2013-03-23T19:42:00.003-07:00

nyc is this crazy land of opportunity - by which i mean food opportunity. even if i went to five eateries everyday for the rest of my life i could never, to borrow the words from Pokemon - "catch 'em all" due to reasons of health, stomach capacity and budgetary constraints.

in my short-lived 2 weeks, i had the painful task of exercising the onerous task of practising discerning, calculated food consumption.

i'm in nyc - so of course i must have the quintessential new york bagel.

ess-a-bagel in midtown NYC.

what's not to like? delicious carb-laden bagel, a mind boggling number of fillings both sweet and savoury options of which you can order by weight.

i must have taken some time standing there staring and squinting at what bagel to choose and then what kind of filling i should smear it with as it came to one of the employee's attention.

employee: yo where you from?
me: australia
employee: huh, Japan?
me: uhh...(before I can say anymore...)
employee 2 *shouting*: where's she from?
employee 1: Japan! (to me) do you need a japanese menu?
me: no i'm okay.
employee 1: i think we have one in the back. yo, do we have a japanese menu?
employee 2: hang on let me check
me: umm, don't worry I can read english...

i am clearly not catching on to American-english.

i order a raisin bagel with chocolate cream cheese filling which is ludicrously thick making it almost impossible to smear. the bagel is dense and chewy. i have half now and put the other half away into my backpack for s'more later. it is a good idea to just have a half in one sitting - and then i return to elephant clomping around the city in search for s'more.

Black Hogg, Silver Lake Los Angeles

2013-03-21T17:49:00.001-07:00

Here I am, on the other side of the country at the Black Hogg.

I am seeing a good friend from high school - as I had similarly done in Chicago, but at the Purple Pig. There seems to be a recurring theme >> high school friends >> pig related restaurants >> incidents.

I am picked up from Hollywood and we head for Silver Lake - unbeknownst to me until now. It is described as hipster LA. I was starting to wonder where Hispterville was - as there seem to be pockets of these emerging in every large city. However in LA, there is a lot more driving to do to get there...!

[TANGENT ALERT!!! So recall the incident at the Purple Pig - what night would be complete without another incident?

Scene 1: Tonight we park under a bridge in Silver Lake at point A
Scene 2: We note a creepy guy shrouded in darkness (B) and round back to the car to make sure it is locked. We make a path (see yellow arrows) under the bridge and pass the dirty 99c burrito joint to the Black Hogg.

EXIT to Black Hogg ]

[Off the tangent and back to the Black Hogg for the moment]

So Black Hogg is packed when we arrive - it is only about 6pm but we are offered seats at the bar which is no problem because the food is defined as 'gastropub' so very suited to eating at the bar with drinks.

10 year High school reunion for two

Minimalism decor - just nondescript chairs and tables and in the back is the bar. The staff are super friendly and attentive and people begin to queue around the bar for a table as the night goes on. We chat to people who are eyeing off our food as we wait and we tell them we are having:

Popcorn bacon morsels with maple crema - just what everyone needs - deep fried bacon ... Each bitesized morsel is a delicious heart attack in the making.

Santa Barbara Uni (sea urchin) toast with butter, scallions and salt

Pork belly tacos - apple slaw, jalapeno relish

Roast mushrooms on brioche box - wild oregon chanterelles (an excellent edible fungus!) , criminis (common mushie), brown butter and brioche

Black Hogg's name suggests the menu to be composed heavily of pig meats - however this suggestion is not true. There are a few pig-meat dishes but there is plentiful to choose from if pig is not your meat of choice.

The food is designed to be consumed with alcohol - it is incredibly rich and buttery and requires alcohol to assist in digestion. The menu while creative and delicious should not be consumed if you are on a calorie restricted diet. The best way to dine is to order a few dishes between friends - we had the four above between two and it was suffice.

[Tangent alert!!! Cont...

Scene 3: After stumbling out of Black Hogg - shrouded in a cloud of food comatose - we make the following path (yellow arrows) back to the car and noted a very empty spot which looked precisely like where we had parked originally - given it was by the bridge and tree and in between two cars.

Scene 4: We instantly enter PANIC mode and rub our eyes wildly and immediately jump to the conclusion that the creepy guy (See Scene 2 exhibit B) hovering around earlier has hijacked the car. We wonder how we will get home and whether to call the police or my friend's huband. We calm down a little bit.... and retrace our steps back to Black Hogg. Rationalising. Breathing.

Me: But it was right near the 99c dirty burrito place. That's where parked.
Friend: I know... I know :-'(

Scene 5: Five more minutes pass. We slowly emerge from the food coma and the hamster starts running again. A little more walking, we finally realise we are on the other side of the bridge - the car safely in its original spot. We bleat sheepishly for blaming that poor creepy guy and are glad we did not immediately call 911. ]

EXEUNT.

Tekka - Richmond, San Francisco

2013-03-20T14:21:00.002-07:00

Recently, I was in San Fran visiting old university friends. I stayed with them for a week and was most fortunate enough to have eaten at Tekka. All week they had talked about Tekka - trying to plan our meals around it so that I would not miss out on dining here in case it was full.

You see, Tekka is tiny hole in the wall sushi bar (fits maybe 10 people MAX), only takes two seatings per night (~7pm and ~9pm) and is only open weeknights and DOES NOT take bookings - hence the extensive planning.

[TANGENT ALERT!!! Well technically it took bookings... as my friend so traumatically recounted for me. She was trying to plan a surprise birthday for her fiance which backfired and turned into a year long ban from the restaurant... She had pleaded much and as it turned out and she had a last minute cancellation from one friend and then another friend was running horrendously late. That's 20% of the clientele that had been turned away and some wishy-washying later they were promptly all ejected into the street. A year on - the owners have seemingly forgotten the incident and now they never do surprise parties.]

Don't expect to be dazzled - it is not a fancy place with just one rule - ENJOY or SHUT UP AND EAT. It is however, a cosy and unassuming neighbourhood restaurant run by a very lovely Japanese couple. Service is staggered, slow but not painfully so, your meals prepared right in front of your nose just centimetres away.

There is a choice of Omakase (a series of dishes at the discretion of the chef) or a la carte. Tonight we have a la carte and order nigiri, a sashimi garden, some sushi, deep fried oysters, sauteed mushrooms and seasonal greens, grilled eel sushi with a bottle of warm house sake.

Owner and head chef preparing our sashimi garden. The dish is not called this but it does resemble an exquisite flower garden!

Deep fried oysters, grilled eel, delightfully light sweet tofu salad, various tea cups and pottery, guest books on the wall, OMAKASE - ENJOY OR SHUT UP AND EAT! sashimi, sauteed mushrooms and seasonal greens, monster nigiris

That is clearly too much food for 3 people. I had no warning of the portions of the nigiri and order 3. So here is my warning to you - if you are going to order other dishes such as the sashimi gardenbed... I would suggest you do not order nigiri. The portions are monstrous - you can barely see the rice which is smothered by the largest freshest hunks of deep sea fish.

The random mushrooms and greens we saw resting on the bar earlier were turned into a simple, savoury buttery melt in your mouth treat.

We eat mostly in silence, sometimes in awe - watching the slicing of the huge portions of fish being pulled directly from the fridge. Sometimes it feels a bit like washing sashimi porn.

A truly memorable food experience, and something I am writing home about right now.

Hot Doug's - Chicago

2013-03-19T15:16:00.003-07:00

Holy moly - holy grail of hot dogs. I had read a couple of positive reviews on tripadvisor and since we had a car for the day, we decided we'd have a mini detour and drop by for some hotdogs for the road.

So we were making tracks for Indiana that day so left home about 9:30am. Hot Doug's does not open until 10:30am which is apparently sausage o'clock. When we arrived at 9:45am, it was closed but decided to just wait a little bit. At 9:55am, a father and his two small sons were in line behind us. We got into conversation and he told us that he came early so the boys could avoid the lines at lunch time. At this point, I couldn't really comprehend its popularity because this place to me, seemed like in the middle of nowhere in industrial inhabited space.

One of the little boys gave me his 10 cent coin, and without thinking I thanked him, took it and pocketed it. My friend glanced at me and gave me a look which seemed to suggest that I should return the 10c to the boy. Month-3 of unemployment becomes me... I finally give it back to him and then doubled his investment with two Australian 5c coins. My last two Australian coins on my person, I weep softly.

So it is 10:30am sharp and the doors open accordingly and we are overwhelmed with the choice available.

Doug is there at the counter - so patient and helpful, guiding us through the menu and making suggestions. By the time we are through with our order and have turned around - we realise that the line is through the door and wrapped around the side of the building. The time is approximately 5 minutes past opening time.

The pictures of the dogs don't do it justice because we have it takeaway and they do get a little bit soggy - the next time we are here, we are going to have the dine in experience! I have the lamb and cognac with brie and the chicago style dog.
Choices can be made from the staple menu that does not change or there is the pricier gourmet daily menu which can have anything from duck foie gras, truffle aioli, chardonny and jalapeno rattlesnake to lamb cognac with brie cheese.

YUM! I don't know any other place where hot dog is worshipped and prized more highly than Hot Doug's. There are not many places you can get such gourmet encased meats than here, and all those people lining up at 10:30am can't be wrong.

Portillo's Hot Dogs

2013-03-19T14:31:00.003-07:00

Portillo's Hot Dogs

A friend of mine has the last name Portillo, so when I saw the name I had a little LOL to myself. Funnily enough, it came up in conversation and he said I had to go and try this place... and that I had to have the cake shake.

It doesn't look like anything fancy on the outside and when you walk in you are greeted with a barrage of knick knack, paddy whacks. Let me go on - a tonne of kitschy plastic things, tacky christmas decorations, chequered plastic tableclothes and bright neon lights. Somehow it all works and all the food comes out in candy striper take out bags plastered with Portillo sausage dogs - just adorable.

It's fast food. Food comes out fast. Dogs done Chicago style are a real treat. I'm a HUGE fan of these dogs - they are boiled and come on a soft poppy seed bun with a slathering of veg and pickles and gherkin. Condiments are available self serviceto suit your tastes. Incredibly it comes in at just over $2.00.

The cake shake is artery clogging, heart palpitating sugary goodness. It is more of a cake than a shake - requiring you to de-lid and commence spoon action to scoop the cake out of the bottom. I would recommend the cake shake be an annual type of event or maybe bi-annual if you are coming off the back of a desert marathon from the Sahara.

If you are going to try a hot dog Chicago style - you have to have it here @ Portillo's.

ROOF on theWit - Chicago

2013-03-19T14:11:00.001-07:00

Try the ROOF on theWit...

It is in the center of town - right on the corner of State and Lake in Chicago. Then, look up - because its located at the top of theWit hotel. Swanky place for nibbles with cocktails after work with a very nice view of the city below.

On a rather cold winter night - we were grateful for being given a seat right next to the fireplace. If you're thinking oh how cosy and quaint - remember I said swanky earlier? Even the flames are swanky.

We came here for pre dinner drinks because they came highly recommended by my local Chicagoan - p.s the drinks menu reads like a novel. Additionally, we also devoured these rather amazing duck fat fries pre-HUGE mexican dinner. We did kind of regret it, post dinner.

Gluttony why can't you let me be?!

Perennial Virant - Chicago

2013-03-18T21:11:00.003-07:00

Perennial Virant - Chicago Old Town.

This is literally a few houses down the road from my friend's house and because she is the proud owner of a new puppy - the distance we can stray from her home is limited. Fortunately, old town has a plethora of dining options.

This is a particularly nice place for ladies who lunch to lunch and have mimosas in the morning. Conveniently we also happen to be ladies who lunch... so it has worked out quite well!

PV is a nice place for a catchup with the girls although the atmosphere does seem to enforce a somewhat stiff upright seating position. Perhaps when it is summer - al fresco dining would be more relaxed.

Absolutely no complains about the food. Our meals were great, drinks were even better!

Marie Catrib's of Grand Rapids

2013-03-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Marie Catrib's of Grand Rapids.

Dare I say it ... best brunch place in the Northern Hemisphere?

I've eaten my way through a fair few brunches - but I can't think of many menus which rival Marie Catrib's. The offerings are numerous and the best thing is that they are novel and bring excitement to what is normally eggs&bacon with toast... It's definitely not your typical American diner/brunch - all the raw materials are sourced locally from farms in the region. It is your anti-walmart establishment is how I would best describe it and a trend that I think is very much welcomed judging by the number of people eating in.

Again, this was another chance stumble - in Grand Rapids of all places - a city I did not knew existed until I had the need to go fulfill a childhood dream... Who knew this was such an exciting city...it can draw a crowd to WWE at the Van Andel Arena and then serves up a mean brunch the next morning at Marie Catrib's!

The staff are just amazing - really attentive and patient - helping us narrow the choice from the menu. I ordered the KT breakfast - seasoned tofu, onions, zucchini, kale, sesame seeds, fresh ginger, garlic, side of seasoned potatoes. Choice of toast w/ peanut butter + jam. This meal is just flavourful abundance crammed on a plate. I am of course extremely pleased with the inclusion of peanut butter. YARM!

Everything just screams freshness and harmony and food for the soul. Brewed coffee comes in a variety of brews - you can sample them all if you want... because yes folks, coffee is unlimited here.

Make this one of your USA must-do's if you are passing through Michigan.

Henderson Castle - Kalamazoo, Michigan

2013-03-18T20:09:00.004-07:00

Henderson Castle - BnB

Thanksgiving weekend, we drove out to Michigan to see the WWE in Grand Rapids and booked an overnight stay here at Henderson Castle BnB. Kalamazoo - it's the last place you would expect to find a castle - but lo and behold...

All the rooms in the Bnb are uniquely decorated - we were in the Tibetan room- which is decorated oriental style, a high bed and a beautiful hand painted ceiling with colourful LED lights which is meant to resemble the night sky.

It's always the best of surprises when you find something unexpectedly amazing - and the castle was definitely such a surprise. We would recommend this place for couples as this place just screams nice quiet romantic atmosphere - but for grandma-friends looking for a quiet night away - it's pretty amazing! Surprisingly affordable (~ $110 for both of us) - it's probably the same price as a creepy motor inn motel - so do consider the castle!

As it is a BnB - in the morning breakfast is served in the dining room with fellow BnB'ers. You can choose omelette or french toast along with fruit, tea and juice. It's simple and delicious - I cannot recommend the french toast enough... yarm

With Francois Moyet- the chef! Thank you for the delicious breakfast.

Lakeside Diner

2013-03-18T19:03:00.002-07:00

Lakeside Diner in Stamford, Connecticut.

If you are driving through Stamford, be sure to pick up a doughnut or two from Lakeside. The diner is special in that it sits lakeside - and you can enjoy morning coffee watching a family of white ducks paddle gently across the water.

You need a car to get out here - I'm not sure how else you could do it - and you need some time up your sleeve especially on Sunday mornings as this diner is rather popular and also very small!

so beautiful

i guess the lake is pretty nice too...

huge tarantula fighting an alligator

Typical American style diner layout - homely casual diner with nice ladies holding up the fort

"...the friendly faces at Lakeside diner are still serving doughnuts to those traveling throughout the region stopping in Stamford for Lakeside's legendary doughnut. Because of Lakeside Diner, for generations to come, the children of Stamford's fingers will remain covered in sugar and their faces covered with smiles..." - the office of the Lieutenant Governor Connecticut.

The place was packed the morning we came - the line for seating went out the door and also there were lots of people coming and going for fresh fluffy original cinnamon donuts. Donuts are constantly being pulled out of the fryer and let to rest and then cinnamon-sugared - the smell is intoxicating - so sweet, so irresistible. I probably do not need to tell you that a must-order is a/some cinnamon doughnut/s. Like a good diner - the food is homely and so reasonably priced and plentiful - breakfast will easily be less than $10 per person.

Brunch at Katie's Gourmet in Stamford, Conneticut

2012-12-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

Lunch in Stamford downtown at Katie's Gourmet

Katie's Gourmet – for a delicious home cooked turkey bacon, fried egg and melted cheese on biscuit with brewed coffee.

Wow the biscuit is amazing – great crunchy shell housing the fried egg and bacon on the inside. Turkey bacon is delectably crisp – this is a nice stroll from my friend’s apartment and is a nice place in downtown to sit and watch people parallel park and have a giant LOL but then do help out when you realise they can see you through the very transparent clear glass window.

This many people can't be wrong...

Prime seating position to watch parallel parking

Zomg - delicious turbacon egg and cheese on biscuit

The Purple Pig - Chicago

2012-11-30T14:27:00.001-08:00

More Chicago meanderings - this time I find myself reunited with my best friend from high school.

It's funny what a small world it is that I am finding people in this city.

She took me to her favourite restaurant in Chicago called the Purple Pig - which specialises in pork dishes in a variety of manners. It is located just off Magnificient Mile tucked away after a 10m walk off the main st.

It has a very extensive wine menu from all the country and world to accompany the various dishes. There are many different types of seating arrangements and today, funny story to ensue, we choose community style which means you share a long table with other diners.

The menu is extensive and presents the age old dilemma of CHOICE. I let my friend worry about the decision making and sit back and enjoy the warm buzzing atmosphere of the restaurant.

The food is flawless, ridiculously delicious and warming on this rather chilly Autumn afternoon.

We started off with Razor clams - which is shellfish simplydone in oil and lemon herbs. Bone marrow to follow with buttered bread, sea salt and cilantro and onion salad to balance out its richness.

Here comes the kicker - we have ordered a quail caesar salad but we have been given a devilled egg salad with rocket which we assume is the quail because it is placed in front of us.

Our neighbours ask, "What is that?" (With the power of hindsight I can now recognise this as a very subtle hint to us that it was their dish...) We confidently reply that, "Well, it is the quail caesar salad." We point it out to them on the menu and assume they are intrigued by this dish. We devour it within seconds. The devilled egg or the quail salad we thought it was - is excellent - creamy and warm.

Later, we receive the anchovy quail caesar salad and are just baffled. "WHAT IS THIS?" And then the ephiphany strikes. We laugh and roll on the ground and then frantically apologise to our neighbours who have received their dish again.

Pigs ear - thinly sliced and deep fried with sunnyside up egg yolk mixed in is a treat. There is no distinct flavour in pig ear - but crunchy texture is great softened slightly by the runny egg yolk.

We have ordered too much - alas, as the wagyu dish arrives we have a nibble of the meat and then bag it up for dinner.

This is a wonderful restaurant - well worth visiting if you are in town. I have heard lineups can be tedious but I can assure it is worth it.

Razor clams in herbed lemon and oil

Bone marrow - sea salt and onion and cilantro salad

Devilled egg with rocket; Sauteed veg

Sunny side up egg with kale and pigs ears

Mix the egg yolk in!!

Pret a manger!

A new take on Caesar salad - with anchovies and quail egg

The look of contentment after amazing food

Wow - that was delicious

Wagyu with warmed green olives

Wagyu to go.

Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago

2012-11-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Chicago city close to the afternoon and my first dinner was at Giordano's, united with my best friends from my Brisbane workplace - who have temporarily escaped the summer Brisbane heat for the blistering chills of windy Chicago.

What visit to Chicago would be complete without having tried Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza, so everyone tells me. Giordano's is a chain of deep dish pizza joints - you will find one close to you I am sure, wherever you are.

It literally tastes like a pie crossed with a pizza and a whole Fruckload of cheese, excuse my language but I really do believe it was necessary and appropriate in this case!!

Filled with nervous energy and excitement - we hastily ordered two medium pizzas off the menu. Trust me - the appropriate order is whatever you think you need - DIVIDE BY TWO and that is what you should order.

Having a deep dish pizza is the equivalent of being hit by a giant sleep/comatose hammer. Immediately after eating pizza, the cheese fills up your body's cavities - particularly in the eye area and causes you to close your eyes and feel extremely bear-ish, ready for winter's hibernation. No amount of free brewed coffee refills will help you - just a warm bed and sleep and stretchy pants.

There are many fillings/toppings you can choose to have in the pizza - I think we chose mushroom and spinach. Anything is going to be a pretty good choice smothered in all that dough and cheese.

LESSON LEARNED - ORDER JUST ONE PIZZA NEXT TIME

We do not end up finishing either pizza - so we have takeaway boxes which continue to sit in the fridge and freezer - tasting even better after thawing and reheating.

Deep dish pizza in Chicago - you have to do at least once and then again as a midweek reheated dinner.

Corky's Bar-B-Q - Metairie

2012-11-30T13:44:00.003-08:00

I've been in America for almost 2 weeks but not yet had bbq ribs which is what American food is famous for back at home in Australia...

So we had to pay ol Corky's a visit, just down the road from my friend's place which is known for BBQ and GIANT portions.

Corky's has muted red lighting - which makes it feel like a real carnivore's den and you can have table or booth seating. It's super old school and definitely does not try to be anything that it is not. Although as a head's up you wouldn't want to have a nice sunday brunch here with the girls.

Bread with honeyed butter is complimentary - honeyed butter is a new concept to me - it's pretty tasty. I am seriously getting into the salty-sweet thing that I am seeing everywhere here.

We order a half loaf of onion rings - what we got looked like a full loaf! It's massive tangle of deep fried onion shaped into a loaf form.

The sides that come with the ribs are wanting - the grilled corn was drenched in butter and soggy, the coleslaw was average and the sweet potato fries were soggy. The BBQ ribs were alright - but I've only ever had ribs once or twice so I can't really comment. My friend says there are better ribs out there in America land.

I would suggest that you skip dessert here and go elsewhere - this is a BBQ joint not a dessert bar.

Plastic covered menu, linoleum table covers

Honey butter

GIANT HALF loaf of onion rings. This is a HALF serve FYI.

Our sides

My dino ribs

Pecan pie and Bread butter pudding