New Orleans

There is nothing better than a trip to New Orleans to inspire me to blog again. A spontaneous trip with my husband has left me full and wanting more. Josh and I ate our way through the Bayou, not leaving one local dish left behind. Of coarse, we also chased it all down with Hurricanes, Hand Grenades, and some of the best Bloody Mary's that I have ever had. Large jars of vodka fermenting with green olives, pearl onions, sun dried tomatoes, and green beans. They were garnished with spicy pickled green beans which I now have to try to make. They were yummy to snack on while I sipped on my drink.

The Bloody's weren't spicy but so unbelievably flavorful. The Hurricanes, aka gasoline, and Hand Grenades were too sweet for me but you have to have at least one when you are in New Orleans. I still can't get over the ability to walk up to a bars "To Go" window and ordering a drink to take with you on your walk down Bourbon St. or the drive thru Daiquiri windows. This town loves to party...hard and dirty. And it sure loves to make good eats.

The first thing that I wanted to do when I got off the plane was to grab a drink and find something delicious to eat and that's what we did. We took a walk down Decatur St, ordered a Hurricane to go, and found our way to the infamous Bourbon St. This was Josh's first trip to New Orleans and I wondered what he was thinking as he saw all the people crowded in the street drinking drinks bigger than they could hold. I on the other hand had been to NoLa back when I was 16 but this was my first trip as a "legal" drinking adult. and it is some sight to see. Some of the greatest people watching I have witnessed.
After a Hurricane or two and a few local brews, we stopped in at La'Bayou Restaurant on Bourbon St for a late night snack. We ordered the Oyster Ya Ya's and one of my fav's, crawfish cakes. The Oyster Ya Ya's were charbroiled, which I discovered is a popular way to serve them in NoLa. They were topped with a cajun pesto and parmesan cheese. They were surprisingly very spicy and the smokey, charbroiled flavor gave them a delicious and distinct taste. The crawfish cakes were your typical patties served with cajon aioli. What wasn't so typical was how fresh the crawfish was. It made the cakes so moist and the many, many, chunks of crawfish made these some of the most delicious crawfish cakes that I have ever had. We were so happy with our midnight snack that it got us pretty excited for our weekend of indulgence.
Our first attempt to go to Cafe Du Monde was for breakfast but on a Sunday morning, apparently, that was everyone else's intentions as well because the line to get in was wrapped around the building. Our bellies were a little to hungry to wait in that line but don't worry, we make it there, twice before our trip came to an end.
We found a restaurant across the street from Cafe Du Monde called Rivers Edge and decided to have breakfast there. We started the morning with the infamous Bloody Mary's. The ones here were rimmed with Zataran seasoning. An idea I must duplicate, after all, imitation is the best form of flattery. I had the Rajun Cajun Omelet with smoked andouille sausage, ham, bell peppers, and onions topped with a Creole sauce and served with grits. This was my first time having grits and the menu didn't indicate that it came with them so I was really excited when I saw them on my plate. They were great! Rich and creamy and with a little salt, pepper and tabasco they were perfect. The omelet stole the show. The large bits of sausage were my favorite part. Josh had fried crab "fingers". They were literally the thumbs off of the crab's claw. They were battered in a cornmeal base fry and served with tartar and cocktail sauce. It was so fun to slide the meet off with your teeth.

After breakfast, and ordering another Bloody Mary to go, we decided to explore the city on foot admiring all the local artist in the street and all the gypsy's telling fortunes. Walking up and down all the sides streets is the best way to see the French Quarter. I'm not sure how people drive around down there. The streets are so narrow I still think that they are only meant for horses.
We found ourselves on Charters St and decided to pop into Charters House Cafe, a quiet, quant bar/restaurant. We didn't eat there but we bellied up to the bar and indulged in some great drink and conversation. We ended up back here the next day as well, not to eat, though the menu was tempting and a must stop next time we find ourselves back down here.
Our next stop on our walking tour was for drinks and not for food but this place has made it on my list as favorite bars. Lafitte's Black Smith Shop Bar is THE oldest bar in the country and by far the coolest. The structure, architecture and brick are so old you can feel the history as you walk inside. I couldn't help but imagine all the different people, in ll the different era's that had walked in the door and sat at the bar. The energy in Lafitte's is chilling and way cool. It is a must place to grab a drink if you are in NoLa. The waitress said that they had the best Bloody Mary's so I partook in another 3 or 4 and Josh made his way thru the local brew list.

We spent hours at Lafitte's working up an appetite for one of New Orleans most favorite places, Cafe Du Monde. The coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde was what I was looking forward to the most this trip. I know it's a tourist trap and that hoards of people crowd this place but it's for a damn good reason. The cafe au laits with chicory coffee and scolding milk are delicious and the beignets, oh the beignets...there are just no words.

These puffy, doughy, fried french doughnuts are dusted with powder sugar and are like heaven in your mouth. I've made them before for Josh and Bella but none compare to the ones at Cafe Du Monde. We had to stop here on our last day as well to indulge again.
That evening for dinner we headed to Acme Oyster House. The very same place where Adam from Man vs Food downed 15 dozen raw oysters. I love oysters but, that's just gross. There was a pretty hefty line to get into Acme but we opted to sit at the oyster bar instead of a table and I am glad we did because we got to sit in front of "Magic" and watch him shuck oysters all night and tell some pretty entertaining stories. Without much convincing he had us order their chargrilled oysters. I loved these with garlic and cheese and a little dab of cocktail sauce, mmmmmmmm....Though I did really enjoy the charbroiled ones at La'Bayou I preferred Acme's chargrilled one. And the oysters at Acme were huge. We ordered raw ones too an as Josh put it "These are monsters!"
This is also where I had a Po Boy! I ordered the Peace Maker Po Boy. It was a combination of shrimp and oysters cornmeal battered and friend served on an 8" roll topped with lettuce, tomato and tabasco infused mayo. "Magic" suggested I put a few dabs of smoked Tabasco on it and I am glad he did. We were way too stuffed for dessert but the bananas foster was tempting me.
Our last meal of the trip was a fun one. I had made it a goal to try alligator while we were down here and at Riverfront Restaurant, we did! We had the Cajun Alligator Bites. The bartender suggested we have them blackened so we did. It was delicious. It's hard to describe without using the cliched "It tastes like chicken" but it does. It just had a meatier, denser texture. It was really good with a little dab of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.

We also indulged in a little taste of Louisiana. It was a platter of gumbo with chicken and sausage, crawfish etouffee, and jambalaya. It wasn't a knock your socks off meal but it was really, really tasty and a good way to end our trip.

The next time we go I would like to try some of the fine dining places that NoLa has to offer. I've heard Emeril's Nola is really good and John Besh's August. Stay tuned....someday there will be a part 2.


Points of interest:

La'Bayou
208 Bourbon St

Rivers Edge
801 Decatur St

Chartres House Cafe
601 Charters St.

Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville St

Cafe Du Monde
800 Decatur St.

Riverfront Restaurant
541 Decatur St

Ja'Grill

First off, I know it has been way too long since my last post. I guess you could say that I just haven't had that much inspiring food to write about until recently. I will have to apologize for the lack of pictures. I tried to snap a few at Ja'Grill but it was just way to dark and tight in there they came out looking terrible and I just can't post them and in my next entry about our most recent Super Club...well, the place was just waaaaayyyyy too swanky to be busting out the camera.

Well, now, on to Ja'Grill! Since Josh's recent job change we have found ourselves with many weekend nights together. We planned a date night and Josh surprised me with a night out at Ja'Grill. Our love for Jamaica and Jamaican cuisine is no secret and for those not familiar with Ja'Grill, it's an authentic Jamaican restaurant in Lincoln Park.

When we first arrived, I noticed an entire wall mural of Bob Marley, the place was a lot smaller that it looks from the outside, and it is pretty tight seating. I do have to say that it was a lot more "fancy" than I expected. Jamaican cuisine isn't very polished and I was surprised to see such a polished restaurant. Pleasantly surprised.

We had to start the night off with a Jamaican Rum Punch. 3 different types of rum and some tropical juices. We watched the bartender pour the drinks and man were they strong! Delicious but strong. For an appetizer we started with Jerk Wings. Seasoned with traditional Jamaican Jerk seasoning and char grilled. They were crispy and spicy and went really well with our Rum Punches. For our entrees, Josh had The Curry Tilapia, which was a special that night, and I had the Curry Goat Stew. Both were great but I highly suggest the Curry Goat. It was very spicy! Served with Peas and Rice. We were going to try some dessert but we decided to head downstairs to the lounge and have a few more drinks. It's surprising to find such a chill lounge bar underneath the restaurant but it was the perfect end to our date night. Befriending the bartender and doing shots of Jamaican White Overproof Rum!!! Only in Jamaica, Mon!

Supper Club...Big Star.

Big Star was Alicia's pick. It is a gourmet taco place in Wicker Park. It took over the Pontiac Grill location over a year ago and has a similar layout with the large patio out front but they completely remodeled it so it no longer looks like a parking lot and the bathrooms are not even close to the disgusting mess they used to be. Inside, all the booths are made of wood and the bar takes up most of the space.
The best part of this Supper Club was the fact that the weather was so great that we actually got to spend our dinning experience outside, on the patio, in the sun. It was a little taste of summer!
You know a place is good if before they are even open, there is a line to get in. I am sure the great weather helped contribute to the popularity.
The menu is simple, tacos and tostadas. There are a few appetizers as well. We started off with the Queso Fundido. MELTED QUESO CHIHUAHUA, RAJAS POBLANO, HOUSEMADE CHORIZO, FRESH TORTILLAS.

Alicia and I also started our afternoon with a Big Star Margarita...HERRADURA PLATA, SAN LUIS MEZCAL, LIME, ORANGE CURACAO, while Josh and Jason started off with a shot of the day and a Red Rocket Amber Ale. The Margaritas were good! Strong but good. I, and the rest of the table ended the afternoon with cans of Bombshell Blonde Ale, which may be the best beer in a can I have tasted.

The tacos were good! I had a Tacos De Panza...CRISPY, BRAISED PORK BELLY, TOMATO GUAJILLO SAUCE, QUESO FRESCO, ONION, CILANTRO and a Tacos Al Pastor...MARINATED, SPIT ROASTED PORK SHOULDER, GRILLED PINEAPPLE, GRILLED ONION, CILANTRO . I loved the pork belly taco. It had such great flavor. The al Pastor taco was really good but I REALLY REALLY enjoyed the pork belly.

I had intentions of ordering a fish taco as well but got so full from the Queso Fondido, margaritas, and tacos that I just couldn't find room to fit 'em in. Josh and Alicia had the fish tacos and they got a thumbs up.
Big Star was a great pick! It has a great atmosphere, great menu, good tunes and great drinks. It's not going to have a problem staying busy, especially in the summer with a patio like that. Josh and I had never been there and it was a great first impression. Stay tuned for round 4 of The Supper Club! It's Josh's pick next!

Zak's Place

My husband, Josh, is currently the Chef de Cuisine at Zak's Place, a hidden suburban gem in Hinsdale. Also, the place where Josh and I held our wedding reception. What a great night, filled with A LOT of great food.
Since I do have a food blog what better entry then my husband's restaurant? This past weekend myself and our "Jamaica" friends, Dan and Julie, went to Zak's and had a very special meal that Josh hand picked for us. There were 5 courses and 4 desserts. Not to mention the drinks. I was stuffed and had to be rolled out of there, or at least I felt like I had to.

Our first plate was steamed muscles...one of my favorite dishes of all time. Nothing like melted leeks, white wine, garlic, butter and cream to perfect the dish. Great broth for bread dipping too!

Following the muscles Josh sent out one of my favorite Zak's dishes, Zak's potatoes. They are large wedge cut potatoes fried, with white truffle & parmigiano-reggiano. I seriously could lick the plate. Nothing is more decadent than truffles!

The third plate was my top pick of the night and is not on the menu....yet! It was a lamb lollypop with blue cheese and roasted asparagas and red peppers. It was a combination I could have never thought of. Blue cheese and lamb??? Oh, but it worked so well! Not to mention the fact that up until I met Josh, I would not eat lamb. I just didn't like it. Turns out, I just never had it cooked right. This lamb had the perfect herb de provence crust and a sauce that brought everything together. I have been bugging Josh to make this for me every night since without any luck.

We were given a lovely little pallet cleanser after the lamb lollypop. A grapefruit sorbet! What a great dish itself. It was bright and clean without being as tart as a grapefruit. It has inspired me to make an "adult" summer dessert. Grapefruit Semifreddo Granita!
The fourth dish of the night was a surprising combination of Lobster and passion fruit risotto. I expected to be a lot sweeter than it was consdering lobster is sweet and I assumed that passion fruit was too but the passion fruit added a certain acidity to the dish that leveled it out and brightened up a lot of the flavor. It made it seem not so rich. I think the three of us licked the bowls clean.

Our next dish is a Zak's Place must have. All the times that I have been there with various friends and family someone at the table always gets this dish and ravs about it. I must admit, it is DAMN good! The Chocolate braised short ribs. Yes, I did say Chocolate! They are braised for hours in a chocolate sauce and served over white truffle orzo. You would think that the dish would be sweet just because of the word chocolate but chocolate can be very savory. It reminds me of a mole sauce. It is so tender that I am not sure why they serve it with a steak knife because you honestly don't need it and the orzo that they serve it with is perfect because it is so light and fluffy but not heavy like a rice. It's a must try when you head to Zak's after reading this blog.
On to desserts....there were a lot! They filled our table with Crème brûlée, bread pudding, a trio of chocolate that consisted of chocolate mousse, chocolate truffle, and chocolate ice cream, and just to be funny they served us my very own red velvet cupcake that I had made the staff the day before. It was hilarious but with all the other desserts, I couldn't bare to eat my own cupcake!

It was a great foodie night. I am grateful to be married to such a talented man, though my waistline may not be so grateful. LOL!

I highly suggest you make your way out to Hinsdale to enjoy a great meal, great staff and great atmosphere. It is well worth it!


Zak's Place
112 South Washington Street
Hinsdale, IL 60521-4110
(630) 323-9257

Sunday Funday with our "Jamaica" friends

A little mishap at the start of our Jamaica honeymoon led us to Julie and Dan. When we first arrived at the Montego Bay airport our luggage was no where to be found and I was in a panic. On my honeymoon with no cloths but the ones I was wearing. Mind you, we came from Chicago and the weather is much different than Jamaica. A couple in the Sandals lounge had noticed our dilemma. I am sure they saw the terror in my face. Well, Sandals located the guy that mistakenly took our luggage brought it back to us at the Sandals lounge and we boarded the bus that had been waiting for us for about an hour. I am a strong believer in things happen for a reason and had we not had the luggage mishap, we never would have met Julie and Dan. They saw us in the lounge and cheered for us when we told them that our luggage was on it's way to us. We didn't know that they would be on that bus that was waiting for us.
We chatted for a while on the bus. They live in Brookfield and had heard of Zak's Place, where Josh works. It was neat to meet a couple from Chicago headed to the same resort. We hung out a few nights in Jamaica and had a blast and promised to meet up when we were back in the states. Well, today, we did that!
Julie, Dan and their very handsome son, Aiden, were gracious hosts. They grilled up a feast! And since this is a food blog I had to share her menu and the pictures of the food. it was crazy good!

First of all, in honor of Jamaica, we toasted the day with Rum Punch made with Appleton Jamaican Rum. She grilled a german potato salad. Yes, I said grilled. With corn on the cob with cajun butter and greek chicken salad sandwiches.

For dessert, Julie grilled bananas...yes, grilled again, with raspberries and a rum carmel sauce. It was so damn good that I was licking the plate.

It was a great spread, great food, and even better company. We had such a good time and it was a really nice treat to have someone cook for us. Julie is a fellow blogger so for recipes of her menu check out her blog at urbangrillgoddess.blogspot.com
She really is an urban grill goddess and if it can be grilled, the girl can grill it.
Thank you to the guy that mistakenly took our luggage because if it weren't for you we may never have met Dan and Julie. It's great to make new friends! I think we will keep them :-)

JERK!

In recent weeks, following our return from our honeymoon in Jamaica, I have realized I have a huge obsession with Jerk. Prior to Jamaica I had never had it before and I was very very excited to try it. That first night we were in Ocho Rios our resort held a huge beach party. There was more food then I knew what to do with but I was on a hunt for Jerk! I found it! Jerk Chicken on a huge open grill with a chef "jerking" around whole chickens cutting pieces to order and a side container with extra jerk sauce. That first bite my taste buds awoke and I was delighted. It was so damn delicious! Everyday of our stay I had a Jerk dish and bought 3 Jerk sauces and marinade from the gift shop.
Being home and trying to recreate it, well, not so easy. You can pretty much use jerk on anything. Fish, beef, chicken, pork, and someday I want to try to make Jerk lamb kabobs. My first attempt at Jerk, I used pork. It was not a huge success. There was a zip and tang that was missing and there was no heat. I got some tips from some locals after that failed attempt, thank you Lanjay, and made the second attempt dead on!

The key is to let it marinade overnight. The meat has to sit in all those spices or it's just not going to be the same. The first time I just rolled it around in the dry rub I made, threw it on the grill and brushed it with sauce. The second time we marinated the pork for a full 24 hours, grilled it, while covering with sauce and we nailed it! So yummy. Jerk has become one of my comfort foods, along with adobo and curry. And when I do make those Jerk Lamb Kabobs this summer, don't worry....I will blog about it! Now go Jerk something

Jerk Dry Rub
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons habanero chile pepper (fresh peper)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Jamaica 2011

Josh and I just got back from our honeymoon and WOW! I fell in love with Jamaica pretty hard. I didn't really know much about the country before we left. I knew it was very poor as most of the Caribbean is. I didn't know how hilly and extremely lush it is. The Caribbean Sea was more beautiful than I had imagined. A color that words could not do justice. The people were just as beautiful, inside and out.
I know that this is a food blog and we did have a lot of great cuisine but I am dedicating this entry to the island of Jamaica. Our new home away from home.
Being home, in Chicago, for a full day, I have found myself slip into a bit of a depression. I cried so much our last day and as our flight took off. Yes, I wanted to see my daughter, and yes I missed our cats and family but Josh and I had such an amazing experience it was too hard to say good-bye. Jamaica is magical and the people, however poor they are, know it. A lot of them have nothing but make shift shacks to live in and no shoes on their feet but what they do have is the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. A "no problem, mon" attitude and Jamaica. They don't have much but what they do have is all they need and that is why I see so much happiness in their faces.
Most of these faces were the staff at Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios and I know that it's their job to put that smile on but being there a week, we opened up to them and got to know a few of them pretty well. On some of our excursions we met a few more and yes, they want to sell you things, and yes they want to braid your hair but it was never overwhelming or frightening. The 2 hour bus ride from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios is where I saw most of the real Jamaica. The homes, people, lifestyle. It was sad at first. Seeing all these places that I knew I could never live in...or could I? If I knew nothing else would it be so bad? We, here in America, have so much. Our big screen TV's, mac computers, ipods, iphones, video games, fancy cars, and huge homes...but do we need them? No. Do I enjoy them...well heck yes! Having to go just 1 week without all of that and not missing one thing, I truly surprised myself. I will admit that I am a pretty hardcore phone junkie and I really enjoyed keeping it locked up in the safe for a week. It was freeing. It was also great to discover that Sandals was a good company to work for. A lot of them said that it paid more than the other resorts and had benefits. One of the play makers Lori, said that on her work schedule would be a spa day that she got to enjoy while on the clock...now that is a perk that I am talking about.
The staff at te resort was another big part of Josh and I falling in love with Jamaica. Those infectious smiles on their face. Such truly laid back attitudes. I vowed to bring some of that philosophy back home with me. What you have is all you got and what you got is all you need and it's no problem mon.
Now....on to the food!

I enjoyed the Jamaican cuisine so much that I brought home 3 huge bottles of the Jamaican Jerk sauce and we are already trying to find out ways to make it when it's gone. Josh and I were walking through the gardens when a chef at the resort approached us just to talk and we got into a big conversation about jerk and he told us in depth how to make it at home and reassured me that the sauce we bought was the best kind. That right there is just an example of how great the staff at Sandals was. Everyday I bugged our concierge, Lanjay, and everyday he greeted me with a smile and open arms. They all did. I will be sure to right up a solid review on tripadvisor.com but now, back to the food.
Jerk...I am obsessed! I want to put it on everything. Jerk fish tacos, jerk lamb Kabobs, jerk adobo..etc. If anyone out there knows where we can go for some good authentic jerk in the city PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know.

Throughout the resort there were about 11 different restaurants and 4 grills. I enjoyed so much of it. It was way above average to me. Especially the curry and jerk dishes. I don't really remember what we had where, but I will scatter some pics throughout the blog.
The appetizers were some of my favs. We really enjoyed the crab cakes...

...we also had this really good shrimp and scallop appetizer. It was rolled up in a white cabbage, so good!

It was great to have an all inclusive resort because we used it up. Ordering as much as we could so that we could taste everything.

We enjoyed many of the desserts as well.

But still my favorite was the Jerk. It has now become one of my new favorite cuisines. I had never had before we went to Jamaica and now I just can't wait to recreate it. Stay tuned for that blog entry!

Yeah Mon!